


Shadows

by Sanrodri



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Depression, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-07-16
Updated: 2014-10-07
Packaged: 2018-02-09 03:29:03
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 16
Words: 29,134
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1967307
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sanrodri/pseuds/Sanrodri
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Harry recalls his biggest regret.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Regret

Harry returned to the boys' bathroom that night with the help of his invisibility cloak. He opened the door and stepped in, the soles of his shoes once again dirtied by blood. Blood that he spilled. Blood that was there by his hand.

Malfoy's blood.

He didn't know why Filch hadn't cleaned it yet. Perhaps he knew Harry would come back here and wanted to torture him with evidence of his misdeed. Or perhaps Filch was simply horrified by Harry's actions as much as Dumbledore was.

He had let his obsession consume him and his trust in the Prince guide him down this road. As he stared down at the blood stained floor, Harry relived the moment for the hundredth time that night.

_He saw Malfoy crying in the mirror. They locked eyes and Harry was filled with a familiar mixed emotion. He was torn between hate and the overwhelming urge to comfort Draco Malfoy. Before he could give in to the latter, he attacked._

The rest was a blur. After that, all he remembered was staring in horror at the pale body sprawled in crimson beneath him.

Malfoy would be okay though, right? He had to be. For Harry's sake.

* * *

"My God… What did he do to you?"

Draco lay in the Hospital wing covered in bandages. He had already taken three different types of potions, been subjected to five different types of spells, and now had to lie in his bed, still wrapped in bandages, and having to listen to the incessant ramblings of Pansy Parkinson.

"It's nothing Pansy. For the thousandth time. I. Am. Fine. Now leave me to heal in peace."

"Draco, I knew he hated you but this is dark magic. What did you do to the filthy little muggle-lover to make him want to kill you?" Pansy took a sharp breath. "Does he know that you ar-"

"PANSY. LEAVE. NOW. I have enough to deal with without having to put up with your idiotic theories. Potter hit me with the spell simply because Potter hates me and has always hated me and if he hadn't caught me off guard and cornered, it would be Potter in here, not me. And I  _assure_  you, he would not be faring as well as I. Now leave me."

"But, Drac-"

"That was not a request."

"Fine. Stay here. Sulk. Do whatever the fuck you want." And with that she stormed out, receiving a sharp glare from Madam Pomfrey in the process.

Draco lay on his back, staring at the ceiling, no longer in the present but back in his first day at Hogwarts when he had offered Harry Potter his hand.

* * *

Though he knew it was wrong to let his obsession keep growing, though he was afraid of hurting Malfoy again, Harry could not live with the guilt and so he snuck into the Hospital wing the third night after the incident and watched him sleep from under the cloak.

Draco Malfoy lay before Harry looking as though he had gone through no more than a simple Quidditch injury. He only had bandages left on his chest and the rest of him looked as healthy as ever. As he watched, Harry noticed how elegant Malfoy looked, even in sleep. How unbelievably beautiful his skin was and how his hair shown under the moonli-

NO.

Harry scrambled to leave and in his haste, tripped over a small pile of get-well gifts at the foot of Malfoy's bed, stumbled, and crashed into the ground. He groaned and rubbed his backside. Why the hell had he come here? Swearing, he lifted himself up from the floor only to freeze in place, still not fully standing, hunched over, and with his hand still on his backside.

"Come to finish the job, Potter?"

Harry was frozen in panic. His cloak lay forgotten on the floor.

"Or perhaps you thought you would taunt me? Yes, let me go visit the little Malfoy boy half naked so he can see how completely spotless my body is. How free of bandages it is."

Harry's panic increased as he realized he was standing in the middle of the hospital wing wearing nothing but his shorts.

Draco glared in disgust, his gaze burning into the tan skin.

"Or maybe all you wanted was another rush, Potter. Did nearly killing me get you high? Is that what you like? Quidditch doesn't do it for you anymore? Do you like to leave people bleeding on the floor only to stalk them and again la-"

"No." Harry picked up his cloak and wrapped it around himself so that only a floating head was left. "No, I… I came because… I just." He swallowed. "Er…Are you alright?" What a stupid thing to say. Why did he say that?

"Obviously I am. Now take your killer's remorse and leave me. I'm quite tired from regrowing large portions of my internal organs."

Harry gaped. "What?"

"What part of nearly dead do you not understand, you filthy little inbred! Now get the fuck away from my bed or I swear I will kill you, injured or not!"

"Look, Malfoy," Harry spat the name, "I came to check up on you, not fight with you but if you want I can finish the job."

"THEN DO IT! BLOODY KILL ME ALREADY POTTER! KILL ME! GO AHEAD! NOBODY IS GOING TO MISS ME! WHAT'S ONE MORE DEATHEATER DEAD? IF ANYTHING THEY WILL CELEBRATE YOU! KILL ME. KILL ME! KILL ME! KILL ME!"

And so Harry ran. He threw his cloak on and ran to Gryffindor tower, scared that he would follow through with his threat and then he would be just as bad as Voldemort.


	2. The Daily Prophet

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Daily Prophet writes about Draco Malfoy.

Dozens of Daily Prophets lay stacked in a corner of the tiny office.

" _BOY WHO LIVED DOES NOT RETURN TO HOGWARTS"_

" _SAVIOUR ENGAGED"_

" _POTTER DOES IT AGAIN. LAST DEATH EATER CAPTURED"_

" _BOY WHO LIVED: CAN HE LIVE AGAIN?"_

" _THIRD POTTER CHILD BORN"_

" _POTTER RECOVERS FROM INJURY"_

" _TROUBLE IN POTTER HOUSE"_

" _POTTER WANTED FOR MINISTER OF MAGIC"_

" _POTTER DIVORCES. INSIDE SCOOP FROM FAMILY FRIEND"_

" _GINNY WEASLEY: LOVING EX WIFE, OR GOLD DIGGER?"_

On and on they went, prying into Harry Potter's life and getting as many facts right as wrong. Harry didn't keep them for any important reason. It was just easy to skim through the Prophet when it was delivered each morning to his study, then fold it up again and place it in a pile. Every now and then, Hermione would come by and throw some away, but she left behind the ones to do with Harry in case she ever needed to refer to them. Sometimes, even incorrect information is valuable.

That morning, the Prophet was particularly interesting.

" _MALFOY: SEXY BAD BOY OR FUTURE HEALER?"_

Harry couldn't help noticing how the Prophet's headlines seemed to be becoming...louder. Circulation must be down. He unfolded the paper and began to read:

_Draco Malfoy, known for his dark past and bachelor lifestyle seems to have been holding out on us. As it turns out, this playboy isn't as bad as we thought. Malfoy, or should we say, HEALER Malfoy, has been working in Muggle hospitals for the past five years. He has at last returned to London to work as a Magical Healer specializing in damage caused by dark magic. We were lucky enough to interview our very own Rita Skeeter who has been very close to Mr. Malfoy for years._

_**DP** : We've confirmed with other Healers that Mr. Malfoy is indeed going to begin work at St. Mungo's this week. Is this something we should have seen coming?_

_**RS** : Well obviously you should have seen it coming but of course you were all looking in the wrong direction. That's what he wanted. To trick you all with his sexual exploits so he could swoop in and awe us all with his supposed wondrous healing skills. Well, let me tell you, his expertise is nothing more than a few simple healing charms and the use of simple homemade potions. It's his money that secured his position. He told me himself. I have recently broken off our friendship because he would not listen when I told him not to go through with this._

_**DP** : But why would he want to be a healer?_

_**RS** : To clear the Malfoy name of course. But he won't actually be doing any work. No, no, no. He is there for show. But of course, he was my dear friend, and I must say he is putting a lot of money into this little project of his so he should merited in some respects. It's all to do with his troubled past, you see. Much like The Boy Who Lived, Draco Malfoy has deep shadows from which he can't escape. It's all in my new book, "From Death Eater to Healer: The Draco Malfoy Story." It will be coming out in just a few weeks._

_**DP** : A new book? How impressive! Will there be any quotes from Mr. Malfoy himself?_

_**RS** : Oh, certainly not. But there _ _will_ _be quotes from even more important sources. A few ex Death Eaters and, if I have anything to say about it, Draco's old school rival, Harry Po-_

Harry had had enough. A quote from him? Doubtful. Rita Skeeter may be right about Draco Malfoy buying his way into a job, but Dumbledore would have to rise from the dead before he would give a quote to that woman. He folded the prophet and set it on top of the rest before trudging down the stairs to fix breakfast. He poured himself some cereal and did his best not to think about Draco Malfoy and the scars he must still have on his chest.

* * *

"Mother! Have you seen this filth? That woman is actually saying that I bought my way into my position at St. Mungo's! She makes it sound as if I am nothing but a playboy idiot, desperately trying to gain good standing! As if I need to do that! With all the money I have poured in to rebuilding after the war, to researching counter curses, to-"

"Yes, darling." Narcissa Malfoy sipped her tea and looked at her son. He was a mess. His usually slicked back hair was in disarray, his collar was folded improperly, and by far the worst part, he was wearing black socks with his white Healer's uniform. "I've seen the filth. I ignored it. What I can't ignore is your appearance. If you insist on going out looking like a beggar who stole a Healer's uniform then at least go out as one who also stole matching socks."

"Oh, don't be ridiculous. I look perfectly fine." To prove it, Draco waved his wand and a mirror appeared before him. "My God…" Draco stared at his reflection in comical horror, "Look at what that woman has done to me!"

Narcissa set her tea aside and rose to help her son. With a few flourishes of her wand his hair was sleek, his collar the definition of perfection, and his socks, thankfully, a pure white.

Draco sighed.

"I don't know if I can do this."

"You can and you will. Now leave. I'm a very busy woman and I can't have you taking up all of my time."

Draco smirked and hugged his mother.

"I'll be back for dinner to tell you all about my day. Just don't expect me to make this a habit. I'm not moving back in with you, mother."

"I wouldn't dream of it, darling." And with a crack, she was gone. Off to fill her morning by picking out new curtains for Draco's old bedroom.

Draco grabbed the Prophet and began to read it again, focusing on the section that disturbed him most.

_**DP** : So do you think he is still a Playboy?_

_**RS** : Of course he is. The question is, does he go dancing to meet witches, or wizards?_

It was Rita Skeeter and she had accused everyone from Severus Snape to Harry Potter of being gay and had usually been dead wrong so, Draco had nothing to worry about. Most people would never believe it after the reputation he had made for himself. What bothered him wasn't what she was saying.

What bothered him was that she was right.

"Why did I have to go and use up all my luck so early in life…?" He sighed and stretched, dreading the day that was to come.


	3. Imperio

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Someone is killing off Dark Arts Wizards.

Harry stared at the case report in front him, not knowing what to do. Minutes dragged by until a paper airplane landed on his desk and woke him from his daze. He unfolded the memo and read it.

_Harry,_

_Kingsley just interrupted my lunch break. I'm on my way back. He wants to speak to us._

_Ron_

Great.

Harry tried to tidy up his desk as best as he could but gave up halfway through the process. He settled for sitting in his chair in what he thought was a professional position before once again turning to the case folder.

Five minutes later, Kinglsey appeared with Ron in tow.

"Potter, we need to do something and fast. The Prophet just sent out a special midday print  _solely_  to report this."

"I understand that, Minister, but what exactly do you want me to do? It isn't even my case. I just saw the report twenty minutes ago."

"You do what you did in the war. You adapt to new situations and move forward. Have you read the case thoroughly?"

Harry groaned. Kingsley used this line whenever Harry protested an assignment. Harry knew he could help and probably handle this particular situation better than any of the other Aurors, but only if he remained objective. That was the problem. He didn't believe that he would  _ever_  be able to remain objective.

"Yes. I've read it."

"Then you know that five people related to the Dark Arts who were pardoned after the war have been attacked."

"Yes, yes. I understand. We have another crazed idiot who fancies himself a hero. And I know who you think is next but I'm sure that a few protective charms would be perfe-"

"Potter, what the report does not say is that Pansy Parkinson was just found dead. She was imperiused and then forced to strangle herself."

Harry looked at Ron who had lost all the color in his face.

"Parkinson is dead? I just saw her yesterday. She was buying gloves in Diagon Alley."

"And she was wearing them when she died. We had them checked for dark magic but they were clean. You are our best Auror and this has become our biggest case. I can't have you tracking down common criminals when we have a murderer walking around. You and Weasley will serve as guards. One of you will be with the innocent while the other patrols the perimeter. You will take turns switching posts and you will  _not_ lose your tempers. Do you both understand?"

Kingsley looked from Ron to Harry, stern and expectant.

Harry knew he was being difficult. He knew he was acting like a child but there was no way he could do this assignment. No.

No way…

"Fine." Harry sighed. "But don't be surprised if I'm the one who ends up killing him."

Ron looked confused. He looked at Harry for an explanation but Harry huffed and walked out, leaving the two men behind in his office.

"I don't understand. He loves playing guard and being in the middle of big cases. Why doesn't he want to work this time?"

Kingsley pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed.

"Because the person you will be protecting is Draco Malfoy."

Ron's eyes flashed and soon he too was gone.

Kingsley sighed and made his way to his own office. He needed to floo to Hogwarts and request an audience with Dumbledore's portrait. The more he knew about Harry's relationship with Draco Malfoy, the better.

* * *

"Miss Diggins, please. I already told you, my shift is over and I need go home. Even if I were on duty I am not specialized in animal bites. Go to the reception desk an-"

"No! I need YOUR help! I need you to heal me please. It's just one bite…"

Draco's patience was wearing thin. He had spent his first day having to answer questions about the infernal article in The Daily Prophet and doing his best to prove that he was qualified for his position. All day he had received the worst cases to treat. He had done exceptionally well until a man was brought in who seemed to have grown a second, but invisible head. At first nobody understood what was the problem because nobody could see it. So far, all Draco had been able to do was make the second head visible. Luckily, his shift was over and the problem now belonged to someone else. But now he had this teenage girl refusing to let him leave and he still needed to stop by Diagon Alley before heading to the Manor for dinner.

"Fine." Draco gave the girl an icy glare, no longer feigning niceness. "Just let me see the bloody bite so I can go about my day."

The girl brightened up instantly and looked at Draco expectantly.

"Well you see, it isn't really about a bite I have as much as…." She turned away and giggled. "As much as… the one I want from you." Miss Diggins raised her arms to drape around Draco's neck.

"For God's sake!" Draco unceremoniously pushed the girl aside causing her to stumble backward and fall to the floor. At that moment he heard a click and saw a flash of light.

Great. He could just see the Prophet's headline tomorrow.

_"HEALER MALFOY ONLY BRINGS HARM"_

He stomped out of the building and apparated home, forgetting all about his trip to Diagon Alley.

Narcissa was sitting in the kitchen when Draco arrived home. As Draco walked in, a houseelf, Linky, offered him his freshly baked cookies.

Uh oh. If his mother had commanded the houseelves to bake then something bad must have happened. He followed Linky into the kitchen where he saw Narcissa sitting, her face expressionless. Draco knew that face.

"Mother, what happened?"

"Did you not hear anything at work today?"

"No… At least nothing to warrant sweets before dinner. What happened?"

"Nobody approached you at Diagon Alley?"

"I didn't go."

Narcissa looked at her son. He had purple stains on his uniform, his hair had no shine, and part of his collar seemed to be invisible. It was obvious his day had been difficult, but there was no point in prolonging the inevitable. She stood up and placed her hand in Draco's.

"Darling, I'm so sorry. Pansy Parkinson was killed today."

Draco's heart stopped.

"She was found in her sitting room."

Draco looked at his mother, his eyes wide and pleading for information.

"She had been imperiused and then forced to strangle herself."

His throat went dry.

"Scorpius! HE DIDN'T RETURN DID HE? HE IS STILL IN B-"

Narcissa grabbed his arm and held it tightly. She couldn't let him lose control yet. The Aurors were expected soon.

"No. I told Astoria to stay in Brazil until further notice. Also, you need to know that I was contacted by the Auror department. They seem to think that you will be the next target. They are sending over two Aurors to keep watch on the Manor. I'm sorry, but it seems that you will have to move home after all for your own safety."

Despite everything, Draco managed gave a weak smile.

"It seems you got you way, after all."

"I always get my way." She began to walk away and then paused. "If you need to talk…"

"I know. Thank you." Narcissa nodded, understanding that he would come to her in time, as soon as he processed the information.

"There is just one more thing, but please darling, don't overreact."

Draco thought about his day, which had led up to the death of one of his oldest friends. What could possibly be worse?

He looked at his mother, exhaustion and anguish reflected on his face.

"Yes?"

"The Aurors that will be coming tonight are Ron Weasley and Harry Potter."


	4. Malfoy Manor

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ron and Harry arrive at Malfoy Manor. (Warning for hilarious consequences.)

Ron and Harry walked up the road to Malfoy Manor. The two men, though usually on the same wavelength, could not have looked any different. Ron wore khaki muggle shorts and a blue T-shirt. He claimed he wanted to be comfortable for the night-watch but Harry suspected that this was Ron's way of trying to insult the Malfoys without openly doing so. Harry, on the other hand, was dressed in dark green wizard robes. They were not formal enough to be considered dress robes but they were very expensive and of the highest quality. He'd only worn them once before, when he attended a dinner at Kingsley's home. The Minister had poked fun at him for taking the evening too seriously. Today, Harry thought that there was a small possibility that he may have underdressed.

When they reached the Manor, the front door opened, revealing a small house-elf. He gave a low, exaggerated bow, and gestured for the two men to follow.

As the two Aurors were led through the Manor, Harry was hit with memories from long ago. Though the decoration had brightened drastically over the years, the structure of the building remained the same, as did Harry's memories.

It did not escape Harry when they passed the spot where Bellatrix Lestrange had thrown the dagger that had ended Dobby's life.

"The Aurors are here, mistress!" squeaked the elf, bringing Harry out of his thoughts.

Narcissa Malfoy was standing in her sitting room wearing an elegant, floor length skirt and a black silk blouse. Like Harry's robes, her attire was not so formal as to be worn to a ball, but she would have been overdressed at any Weasley gathering.

"Welcome to my home, Aurors. Please, tell Linky what you wish to drink and take a seat."

"Pumpkin juice if you have any, Linky."

"Yes, Auror Weasley! Auror Potter?"

"Er… Yes. Just water for me. Thank you." Harry sat down awkwardly, his brain racing to find something to say. Luckily, he noticed the drapes behind Narcissa and found a topic for casual conversation. "These curtains were in another room the last time I was here."

Ron snorted at the poor attempt at conversation and Narcissa's eyes flashed at him before she turned to answer Harry.

"Yes. We changed everything else about the home, other than the paintings of course, but those were the first curtains I ever bought as a married woman so naturally, I was inclined to keep them. You must forgive me for being sentimental." Narcissa turned toward Ron who was slouched in a very expensive looking armchair with his feet up on a very expensive looking table. "Auror Weasley, if you insist on disrespecting me in my home, then I must insist that you pay for any damage that may befall my furniture due to your actions." Ron turned red and removed his feet from the table, instantly regretting his plan to act like a slob throughout the evening. He straightened in his chair and apologized.

Harry smiled. Ron's act of defiance hadn't lasted long.

"Now, shall we set other formalities aside? I do not know how long you will both be here but it will be best if we all call each other by our first names. Harry, your robes are quite lovely."

"Thank you Mrs….er…Narcissa."

Linky returned with the drinks and Ron thought it would be as good a time as any speak.

"Uh, Narcissa… You have a very nice home." Ron gave a toothy grin, obviously trying to make up for his earlier indiscretions.

"Thank you. It's been in the Malfoy family for generations. It is, of course, much too large for myself alone but now that you, Harry, and Draco will be living here-"

Harry choked on his drink and widened his eyes at Ron who took the cue and said,

"Uhm, we won't be living here. We will just be keeping watch throughout the night. During the day we will have other Auror's patrolling and we will set protective charms around the home to-"

"No. You will do no such thing. Until the killer is caught, one of you shall be with with me and the other with Draco. You can take turns or pick someone to constantly guard. That part of the situation does not really matter to me."

"With all due respect, Mrs. Malfoy, the Minister told me th-"

"With all due respect,  _Harry_   _James Potter_ , this is  _my_  home. This is the safety of  _my_  family. You will do as I say and I doubt the minister will have any objections, seeing as I had just finished speaking with him through the floo when you two arrived. I told him that I would not have my son killed and that if he did not post his best Aurors at my home all day, every day, then I would go to the Prophet and give them all the information, false or factual, that they might want."

Ron gaped. The Prophet was already milking Pansy's death. If Narcissa were to give them an interview, it would be enough for weeks, maybe months, of scandalous articles, all criticizing the Aurors and Kinglsey himself.

"Four more Aurors will be posted around the perimeter during various shifts but you two, the best two, will keep constant watch over my son and over me. That is what the minister and I agreed to and those are your new orders. Do you understand?"

Harry's jaw was clenched tight. He nodded and excused himself to go to the restroom. Ron looked at him, silently pleading that he stay, but Harry ignored his friend and left.

Fuck.

This was getting ridiculous. He had only been here twenty minutes and already he was furious. To think, he hadn't even seen Malfoy yet.

* * *

Draco stood in front of a full length mirror, admiring his reflection. He had picked his favorite robes for the occasion. They were an elegant pale blue which matched his eyes perfectly. If he had to swallow his tears, hide his exhaustion, and entertain Potter, then he was at least going to look damn good while doing it.

There was a light knock at his door.

"Come in, Linky." The door creaked open and Linky popped in his head.

"Master Draco, sir! Mistress wants Master Draco to go eat, sir."

"Perfect. I will go down with you."

Linky gave a deep bow. "It would be my honor to walk with Master Draco. Master Draco is the best master there ever is."

Draco laughed. Despite having told Linky that there was no need to compliment him, that he wasn't the same boy who had grown up in these walls, Linky still felt compelled to adulate Draco at every opportunity.

The pair left the room and started down the stairs. With every step, Draco's heart beat faster. What was going to happen now? He hadn't seen Harry since the night of Voldemort's death and that experience had been tense at best. Harry had come to return his wand. Draco accepted it silently and that was the end of it. No words were exchanged. The two boys simply parted ways and never saw each other again.

Until now.

Draco and Linky rounded a corner and entered the Dining Room.

"Master Draco is here!" squeaked the elf.

"Thank you, Linky. You are excused. Draco, darling, you remember your old school friends, Harry and Ron."

That was a stretch. Draco would never have described any Gryffindor as being his friend…

"Of course. Hello." Draco nodded at Ron and then locked eyes with Harry. He had changed. His hair was shorter, no longer long enough to curl around the ears like it used to. His face had become strong and angular, while still maintaining a boyish impression. But most remarkable of all was Harry's body. His shoulders were wider, his forearms thicker, and despite the loose robes, which Draco noticed were his own robes in a different color, it was obvious that Harry was quite fit. His scar, his hair, and his glasses were still the same, and Draco was relieved that there were certain things unalterable by time.

Narcissa didn't miss the way her son looked at Harry. She didn't miss the admiration in his eyes. But more importantly, she didn't miss how Harry Potter, the savior of the Wizarding World, had turned a slight shade of pink as he gazed back.

Draco took a step toward the table and Harry stood up instantly, his chair scraping loudly against the floor.

"Er..."

"Harry, do you need to use the restroom?"

Harry ran a nervous hand through his messy hair.

"Uhm. Yes. Yes I do." He grinned. "I stood up because I need to use the restroom. Right." He pushed his chair in and walked hastily past Malfoy, accidentally bumping his shoulder on the way. "Sorry." He mumbled and disappeared from the room.

Draco moved over the dining table and sat down, completely confused. He had been too busy staring at Potter and hadn't caught whatever caused him to stand up so quickly.

"Well," said Narcissa, "Though it is poor manners I believe we should begin without him."

"No need." Harry had returned as quickly as he had left. "I…er…changed my mind. I went earlier, remember?" He sat down, composed, but avoiding Draco's questioning gaze.

"Wonderful. Dinner is served."

With her words, food appeared on the table and Ron, oblivious to the tone of the room, dove right in.

Narcissa narrowed her eyes and glared at Ron throughout the meal. She winced every time he dropped a speck of food on his wrinkled t-shirt.

Meanwhile, Draco and Harry were busy glancing at each other and looking away before the other noticed they were looking. Eventually they both glanced up at the same time.

Draco sneered at Harry, who glowered in response. They spent the rest of their meal sending nonverbal spells under the table. The result was that by the end of dinner both men had difficulty standing up due to the many small cuts and bruises they had suffered. When Narcissa dismissed them, they waddled off, Harry slightly hunched over, in opposite directions.

"No. Harry, you go with Draco. Your room is across from his. Second floor, fifth room on the right." She turned to Ron. "I need to teach Ronald a few manners."

Ron gave a watery smile and followed Narcissa into the sitting room.

Harry sighed.

"You weren't paying very much attention, were you, Potter? Too busy with that burn that should be on your thigh?" Draco gave his signature smirk. Potter was obviously more beat up than him after that dinner. Malfoy one, Potter zilch.

"Could you…" He growled, obviously angry that he needed to ask for help. "Would you ple-… Just show me to my room so I can keep you from dying, Malfoy."

Draco sneered and turned on the spot. He disappeared with a crack, leaving Harry to find his own way through the Manor.

* * *

"Fucking Malfoy and his fucking attitude."

Harry stepped onto the second floor and counted.

One.

Two.

Three.

Four.

Five doors.

See? He made it just fine without Malfoy's help.

"Slytherin git."

Harry opened the door on his left and walked in.

Strange. His bag wasn't in here. Did Linky forget to bring it up? Or maybe he was in the wrong room after all… He went into the hall and counted again, coming to the fifth door.

"Fifth door on the left. This has to be it." He said to himself.

He entered the room for the second time and began undressing angrily, starting with his shoes which he kicked across the room. Then his robes which he threw on a nearby chair, and then his usual plain T.

"Stupid, annoying, infuriating, pale, unattractive little bitch."

Harry was in the process of removing his trousers and cursing his old rival to Hell when Draco Malfoy himself barged in to the room, wearing nothing but his shorts.

"WHAT THE HELL, POTTER?"

Harry scrambled for his clothes. His shirt! Where did he throw his shirt?

"THIS ISN'T YOUR ROOM, IMBECILE. YOURS IS ACROSS THE HALL. FIFTH DOOR TO THE RIGHT. THE RIGHT!"

"I'M SORRY, ALRIGHT! MAYBE IF YOU HAD HELPED ME WHEN I ASKED!"

"YOU MEAN WHEN YOU  _DEMANDED,_ POTTER! YOU  _DEMANDED_  THAT I SHOW YOU TO YOUR ROOM AS IF I WERE BENEATH YOU! WELL, I'M NOT!" Draco breathed heavily, trying to calm himself down. His voice was straining to keep calm. "You. Cannot. Order. People. Around. Potter." He glared. "Not if you aren't paying them. I will have you know that I am a very impor-"

As Malfoy spoke, Harry noticed four scars on his chest. They were faint but still visible in the low lighting.

He did that. Those were sectumsempra scars. Only Dark magic would make it impossible for one to heal completely and it was he who had done it. Just as Voldemort had marked Harry, he had marked Draco.

Harry stepped forwarded, still looking at the scars, ignoring Malfoy's rambling.

"What in heaven's name are you doing Potter?"

Harry looked up at Malfoy and realized that he was now only a foot away. Malfoy stood in nothing but his shorts, proud and defiant. And Harry stood shirtless, his trousers undone and staring at Malfoy as if he had never seen him before.

The door opened and both men stepped away from each other awkwardly.

"Master Draco, I is needing your dirty robes for the washing." Linky looked at Malfoy expectantly.

"They are in the bathroom, Linky." He sighed.

"Thank you, sir. Good night, Master Malfoy, sir." It was then that Linky noticed that Harry was in the room. He looked from Harry's bare chest to his unbuttoned trousers and said, "Would Auror Potter like Linky to bring his bag to Master Draco's Room?"

"CERTAINLY NOT!"

"NO, OF COURSE NOT!"

Harry, deciding that finding his shirt was no longer a priority, said good night and left swiftly for the room across the hall. The fifth room to the right.

His room.

Not Malfoy's.

…Right.

He pulled off his trousers and fell in to bed, trying not to think about the scars on Malfoy's naked chest, and, more importantly, trying not to think about why he needed to wank so desperately.


	5. Conflicted

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Draco realizes he has feelings for Harry.

_Tan hands trailed up Draco's chest, pushing him backward. Draco resisted at first, startled, but found himself relaxing against the hard stone wall he had been pressed against. The hands roamed Draco's body, slipping down and under the shirt of his Healer's uniform, tugging it up so they could explore the pale skin. His breath hitched as lips found his neck, and he gasped slightly at the feel of a tongue caressing the sensitive skin there. The hands were moving again, and traveled back up to Draco's chest to unbutton his now wrinkled shirt. Draco moaned slightly, his hands finding their way to the messy black hair of a familiar head as it sank further down his chest. His heart raced as fingers worked at his pants. Draco rested his head against the stone wall, pulling at the familiar man's hair as he felt the fabric of his pants fall down past his knees with his trousers. Soft lips found the tip of his partially hard shaft. The sun-kissed hands massaged his length and his whole body shivered in anticipation as a tongue circled the tip of his head.._

"… _I-" He gasped, moaning softly as the man below him took his whole length into his mouth. Draco moaned, heat pulsing through his body as he tightened his grip on the black hair and guided his partner along. He moaned, a rising heat pulsating through his body. The man's pace quickened, one hand roaming the inside of Draco's thigh while the other was placed on the base of his member, chasing after his quick moving lips as they slipped up and down the length of Draco's shaft. Draco moaned loudly, biting his lip with a gasp; he felt himself getting closer and closer to sweet release. At that moment he looked down, wanting to lock eyes with the stranger as he came, only to find Harry Potter staring up at him as he sucked Draco's co-_

"AAAGHGH!" Draco sat up in bed, sweating and painfully hard.

No.

No. No, no, no.

"NO, NO, NOOO!"

Draco threw on a robe and rushed through the door, down the hall, and into the nearest bathroom. He refused to wank to the thought of Potter (Potter would enjoy that,  _wouldn't_ he?) so a cold shower would have to do. He pushed the bathroom door open and stormed in.

"MOVE, POTTER!"

Harry stood in front of the bathroom sink, a toothbrush in his mouth.

"Wha—"

Draco snarled and pushed the brunette, practically jumping into the shower. He banged the shower door shut and turned on the water to the coldest setting.

Fucking hell. His father must be rolling over in his grave. Being gay was one thing but to be having these dreams… Again… After all these years…

Potter flung the door open, his eyes wide.

"What's wrong? Were you attacked?"

Draco stood under the freezing water, his robe clinging to his body, and his penis very obviously erect.

Well, if this wasn't the start of a bad porno, Draco didn't know what was. He groaned in embarrassment.

He looked at the Auror, for once in his life at loss for words. All he could do was stand there as Harry Potter was sprinkled with the icy water and watch as those green eyes lowered down his body, widened, and then shut tight.

"Sorry! Sorry! I didn't! I wasn't!" Potter stumbled backward, both hands planted firmly over his eyes.

Draco slammed the shower door but not before noticing how very shirtless Harry Potter was.

Oh fuck it.

He waited the few seconds it took the other man to hurry out the bathroom and then, throwing caution to the wind, brought himself to climax with nothing but his hand and the image of a shirtless Harry Potter, sucking him dry.

* * *

Harry stood outside the bathroom door trying to make sense of what just happened.

Malfoy was taking a cold shower. He was… He saw…

Harry heard a moan through the door which wakened him from his thoughts.

Right. Time to leave.

He walked back to his room and shut the door tightly behind him, locking it for good measure. That was twice now that Malfoy had barged into a room with him shirtless, and he was not going to relive that experience a third time. Harry threw on a simple pair of jeans and a black shirt and then sat on his bed, waiting for when he thought it would be safe to walk pass the bathroom and down the stairs.

After about five minutes a muffled voice came through the door,

"I'm finished with my shower, Potter. If you would like to barge in on me on the toilet later, please warn me first."

Harry growled and stomped to the door. Throwing it open, he yelled, "YOU WERE THE ONE WHO BARGED IN ON ME, MALFOY! YOU CAN'T JUST RUN PAST AN AUROR IN APPARENT PANIC AND THEN NOT EXPECT HIM TO INVESTIGATE! I THOUGHT YOU HAD BEEN ATTACKED!"

" Well, you shouldn't have been using my personal bathroom, Potter. The guest bath is at the end of the hall to your right. Or did last night's incident not teach you the difference between left and right?"

Harry growled.

"Right. Well next time, how 'bout you wank in your room instead of taking a cold shower?"

"I would if I weren't worried that famous Aurors could wander in at any moment, looking for cheap thrills." Malfoy gave his signature smirk and stepped into his room, closing the door behind him.

Harry groaned and closed his own door.

He couldn't keep doing this. Between the anger, the guilty memories, and the recent confusing feelings, he wouldn't last a week in this place. From now on, he had to control his temper, and when alone, keep his thoughts on Quidditch players ( _not_ obnoxious blondes) because there were only two other things he could do to make his life easier and both were out of the question.

He was not going to let Draco Malfoy die, and he surely wasn't going to fuck him.

* * *

"Malfoy, stop!"

"No. I already told you that I don't want you as my Auror, Potter. I prefer Weasley." Draco had been trying to lose Potter all day while attempting to maintain his cool, but he was beginning to lose patience. The only thing that had kept Draco from resorting to his school-day tactics was Potter's attitude. The man had been nothing but business since their morning incident, and Draco was determined to not be the first to slip. "Please, leave me alone to work. I can't do my job with you constantly looking over my shoulder." Draco grabbed a patient file and went into the closest room, sighing as Potter followed.

It ended up being a slow day. Draco simply checked up on his usual patients, administered medication, and then left, unharmed, without any attacks.

"I told you that I would be perfectly fine at work."

The Auror nodded stiffly, firmly grabbed Draco's arm, and apparated them both back to the Manor.

Draco pulled his arm back as though burned. "Honestly! Insisting on following me around at work is one thing, Potter, but manhandling me is something else entirely! I will not be disrespected simply because you seem to have a hero-God complex."

Potter grunted in response.

How very rude, and how very much like a Gryffindor, to respond in nothing but a primitive grunt, as if Draco were a gorilla. Honestly...

Draco followed the brute known as Harry Potter into the kitchen, where he found his mother with her own Auror.

"Very good. Now, when served soup, you must remember to always scoop away from yourself like this." Weasley looked absolutely miserable. Draco knew how he felt, having dealt with his mother all his life, and decided that perhaps it was time to end the man's torment.

"Mother. We are home."

"Draco!" Narcissa rose from her chair to kiss her son on the cheek. "How was work, darling?" She looked him up and down, approving of his appearance. His uniform was just as white and tidy as it had been that morning.

"It was a slow day. I simply treated my usual patients. Would you like to go for a walk around the garden before dinner?"

Ron looked hopeful that he was at last going to get a well-deserved break.

"Of course, son. Ronald, come. We are going to teach you the proper way to care for roses."

Draco gave the redhead an apologetic smile.

"Harry, your ex-wife called earlier on the floo. She and your children wish to speak with you. Don't worry. Ronald already spoke to his family. Enjoy yourself before dinner, but be in the dining room by seven." Ron gave Harry a jealous glare before disappearing into the garden with the Malfoys.

* * *

That night, Harry lay awake, thinking of his family. He had spoken to Lily, Albus, and James through the floo, but he never liked to be away from them long during the summers. It was difficult enough to not see them for months at a time when they were in school. Maybe, if he convinced Narcissa to let Ginny bring the kids to the Manor…or if he could convince the Malfoys to visit Ginny at her home…

No.

That would put them in harm's way. Of course, there hadn't been an attack yet, so maybe they were wrong about the Malfoys being targets. It was worth investigating.

Harry got out of bed and grabbed a piece of parchment. He would write the Minister a letter and tell him his new theory. Now, how to phrase it is a way that didn't sound as if he were trying to skip work…..

BAM!

Harry jumped, throwing on his invisibility cloak and dashing into the hall. Everything looked normal….

A loud crash came from Malfoy's room and Harry saw a flash of green light from the crack under his door.

"No!" He blasted down the door and found himself in the middle of a battle scene. Broken furniture and glass lay scattered about the room and Draco Malfoy was crouching behind what used to be his dresser as he sent spell after spell at his attacker.

"Stupefy!"

The intruder dodged Harry's attack and jumped out the window, morphing into a brown owl. Harry ran to the window and shot a few more spells but it was difficult to hit the flying owl and it quickly found refuge in a clump of trees.

If only he hadn't been wearing a mask then maybe Harry could have recognized him in time. How could he have let this happen! Harry kicked a broken nightstand in anger. Draco yelped in response.

"Harry! Are you alright!" Ron was in the room with Narcissa and the four Aurors who were supposed to be patrolling the perimeter of the Manor.

"We are sorry, sir. We tried to stop the man, but he was too strong for us."

Harry stepped up to the Auror that had spoken, his glare burning into the man's eyes.

"Too strong? One man was too strong for four highly trained and skilled Aurors!"

The man winced.

"HE COULD HAVE DIED!" Harry gestured to Malfoy, who sat behind his dresser, cuts and bruises covering his body. "IF I HADN'T ALREADY BEEN AWAKE HE  _WOULD_  HAVE DIED!"

"We are sorry, sir, we tried to sto-"

"No. I don't want useless apologies. I am sending a Patronous to the minister so he knows what happened here tonight, and I will make sure to tell the head of our department to replace the lot of you at once."

Ron touched Harry's shoulder.

"Harry, they tried, mate. This guy is probably a really powerful, dark wizar-"

"Yeah, Ron. But he isn't Voldemort and he isn't invincible. He ran away from me so he can't be all that strong." Harry turned to the other Aurors. "Go back to your posts and do your jobs. Reset every protective charm and from now on, make it so that  _nobody_  can apparate in or out. I know we had decided that a select few would be permitted to but I refuse to risk anyone's life just for easier transportation. And remove this house from the Floo Network!"

Harry turned toward the injured blond. Narcissa and Linky were bent over him.

"Is he going to be alright?"

"He will after a few healing potions and a night's sleep. I hope you realize that you will need to sleep in the same room as him from now on."

Ron made a whimpering noise.

"Yes, Ronald, you will have to sleep in my room as well. I will have Linky set up an extra bed for you." She turned toward her son. "Draco, darling, can you stand?"

The man's breathing was shaky, but he managed to croak out an answer.

"Yes."

"Harry, help him into your room. The other house elves have already stocked it with potions, warm water, and clean towels. Have him take the potions and I will be there shortly to help clean his wounds. Ronald, come."

Ron, now used to being commanded like a dog, followed without protest. Linky gave a low bow and then escorted the Aurors out of the room.

Harry sighed.

"Come on, Malfoy. Let's get you healed."

* * *

Draco lay in Harry Potter's bed, thinking about the events of the past hour. Harry had yelled at his own coworkers for letting Draco get hurt and had then stood, his gaze locked on the cuts on Draco's body as his mother cleaned them. He looked as if he were reliving a painful memory. Perhaps it was the same one as Draco's. The cuts he had suffered tonight had not been as severe as the slashes from Potter's sectumsempra, but they had been just as numerous. Being bandaged and then looking up at those green eyes, Draco could have sworn they were back in their sixth year.

He turned over on his side to look at the man who had saved his life for the second time. Potter sat sleeping in an armchair by the bed. Draco thought it looked uncomfortable, but the Auror had refused to let Linky put in an extra bed, insisting that he would be more prepared sitting upright than laying down. Yet now, asleep and slouched, still wearing his dirty clothes from the day, Draco mused that he looked no more prepared for an attack than he did for a ball.

Could Harry Potter even dance if he were to go to a ball?

Well, that was a ridiculous thing to ponder. Draco looked away to the ceiling, determined to think of Harry Potter no more. However, he ended up thinking back to the boys' bathroom, when he had nearly been killed by the Boy Who Lived, then to just a year later to when he had been saved from wild flames by the man who that boy had become. Perhaps Potter should have killed him in that bathroom. Perhaps he shouldn't have bothered saving him from the flames.

It was a thought that Draco had revisited countless times after the war, and was what had inspired him to become a healer. He wanted to be worthy of his second chance. But now that someone was out to kill him, he couldn't help but think it might be for the best.

He turned to look at his savior again. The man slept with his jaw slightly slack and his glasses askew. Despite this comical sight, Draco still noticed the strong jaw, the toned muscles, and the shine of his hair.

Draco sighed. He hadn't had these feelings for Potter since he was in Hogwarts, but now, seeing him every day, it was hard not to let the attraction rekindle despite their numerous differences.

"You should have killed me, Potter," whispered Draco. "You should have killed me back then when I would think about you every night so I wouldn't have to grow to relive those years. So I wouldn't have to put you or my family in danger ever again."

Draco eventually fell asleep, his dreams drifting between vengeful murderers and Harry Potter's soft lips.


	6. Endless Fighting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Harry and Draco can't seem to stop fighting and even The Prophet has noticed.

" _Draco Malfoy has been able to keep our savior as his own personal guard despite there not being any attacks for the past three weeks. An insider involved with the case says…"_

" _Harry Potter has become increasingly protective of his charge. He now refuses to stand more than three feet away while in public. Sources report…"_

" _A month has passed and Harry Potter still acts as Draco Malfoy's personal lap dog. A family friend claims…"_

_"TROUBLE IN PARADISE? MALFOY AND POTTER QUARREL"_

_"VIOLENT SAVIOR: IS MALFOY SAFER ALONE?"_

" _Harry Potter was spotted pulling his charge, Draco Malfoy, to the ground after an argument in Flourish and Blotts. The shopkeeper witnessed…."_

" _Draco Malfoy tackles Harry Potter from behind while visiting the Museum of Magical History in London. A group of Romanian tourists were very shocked when Harry Potter suddenly crashed to the floor before them. The oldest of the group said…"_

"We get it, Hermione."

"Do you? Do you  _really?_ Because if you did  _get_  it then you would have stopped this nonsense weeks ago. But instead you keep up this fighting! All you are doing is getting bad press for yourself! Your children are back at Hogwarts, Harry. Remember how these types of articles affected you when you were in school? The whole point of keeping your secret is so that your children don't have to read about you in the paper, but they seem to have to deal with that anyway so you might as well tell the world." Hermione crossed her arms angrily.

Harry buried his face in his hands as Malfoy looked up from the day's Prophet, intrigued.

"There's a secret?"

"Don't you even think about it, Malfoy. I'm not done with Harry yet and I haven't even  _started_  with you."

"But if my boy-toy is keeping a secret then surely, _I_  should know about it."

Harry growled.

"What? It's all here in today's paper. _Harry Potter: Guard or Boy-toy_?"

Hermione sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose.

"Do you see now, Harry? Your children have to deal with this at Hogwarts and you just let it keep happening. What the two of you need to do is figure out the underlying cause for this anger." Harry snorted and Malfoy rolled his eyes.

"'Mione..." Harry was exhausted. "There is no secret cause. We hate each other. We have always hated each other. We are always going to hate each other."

"For once I agree with scar-head."

"Malfoy. Shut up." Harry glared from under his eyelashes. "Just…shut up. I'm tired of this."

"No. You are tired because you don't sleep in a proper bed. Like I told you-"

"Not this again!" Harry stood up in frustration. "Leave me alone, Malfoy!"

"I will when you leave ME alone! When you give me more than ten minutes of privacy!"

"I'M TRYING TO PROTECT YOU!"

"YOU BROKE MY NOSE YESTERDAY!"

Hermione rose to her feet in fury.

"BE QUIET! THERE HAS TO BE SOMETHING!" She looked at Harry. "You only fight with him because he antagonizes you. He only antagonizes you because you don't give him space. You don't give him space because you are afraid of another attack." Harry tried to speak but Hermione held up her hand. "The question for you, Harry, is why do you let him get under your skin? You've worked with difficult people before without coming to blows." She turned toward Malfoy. "You want your space. I understand that. What I don't understand is why you must torture Harry. I've seen you interact with people and you have grown up to be a very different person from who you used to be at school, so why do you turn back into that stupid, bouncing ferret every time you speak with Harry?"

Malfoy scowled.

"The man is impossible. He is unreasonable. Obviously he-"

"You are the impossible one, Ma-"

Hermione groaned.

"Please. You can't think of ANY reason for why you both affect each other so strongly?  _Anything_  at all?" She looked at the two men, eyebrows raised and lips pursed.

The Auror and the Healer looked at each other and shrugged simultaneously.

"No idea." They both said at once.

"Don't speak in time with me, Potter. It sullies my words."

"You are a little git, you know that?"

Hermione huffed angrily.

"That's it. I give up. Everyone has already spoken to you and if neither of you can listen to reason, then fine. Kill each other. I give up." She walked out of the sitting room and toward the kitchen in search of Ron, Narcissa, and a shred of sanity.

The silence after she left lasted only seconds.

"See what you did, Potter? You upset our researcher. Now who is going to help us track down the attacker? Your Aurors are obviously useless…."

"What I did? What I did? Look in a mirror, Malfoy!"

"I have. I'm gorgeous. But what  _that_  has to do with-"

"You know what I meant! And stop talking to me like that! You treat everyone else with respect!"

"Yes, Potter. And they treat me with respect." The two men stared each other down. Harry was the first to look away, earning him a smirk from the blond. "Off to sulk because I won? Oh, wait. You can't. You have to be with me at  _all_  times." He sneered.

"Shut up, Malfoy."

"That seems to be your new catchphrase."

"I'm ignoring you." Harry stood up from his chair and turned to face the drapery.

"And what on earth is that secret that Granger mentioned?" Harry groaned, pulling at his hair. "That's right. I didn't forget. So what's the secret, Potter? What dark skeletons do you have in your closet?"

Harry sighed and sat back down, sitting low in his chair. This topic could only lead to another fist fight. At least they weren't in public this time…

* * *

Draco dabbed at his guard's cuts. This was getting out of hand. Harry Potter had become obsessed with protecting him, which had resulted in no time alone for Draco. Surrounded by a moody Potter, Draco couldn't help but revert to his Hogwarts self. But this fighting… It just kept escalating, and he failed to see any resolution. He always lost himself in the heat of the moment and then regretted hurting the Auror because, despite the fighting and the arguing, Draco Malfoy had spent the last month falling in love with Harry Potter.

Potter winced as Draco healed his last cut with magical salve.

"Thanks... I guess."

"You… guess? I just spent an hour healing you."

"Yes. And you spent another injuring me." He stretched his back, cracking and relieving the day's tension.

"Just hold still so I can finish bandaging you." Draco reached out only to have his hand pushed away.

"I will be fine."

"At least sleep in a bed tonight."

"I told you to drop that."

Draco grabbed a pillow and threw it at the stubborn man.

"You must have noticed that you are getting worse at beating me up. I actually won this last fight. A tired Auror is a useless Auror." Harry took a step and swayed slightly from side to side. "Do you want to protect me or not?"

Draco could see the resolve breaking on Potter's face. The potion he had mixed in with the salve was working.

"I...Wait. It's two in the morning. The elves are asleep." Even when drugged, Potter was stubborn. "They can't bring up a bed."

Draco crossed his arms.

"By all means, sleep in mine. I'll sleep in the chair."

Harry gave a lazy chuckle.

"You? Give up luxury and precious…" He yawned loudly and swayed again. "Aaah… Beauty sleep?"

Malfoy snatched the pillow he had thrown earlier from Potter's arms and sat in the man's usual spot.

"Ah, how delightfully comfortable."

Harry shrugged, his eyelids drooping as he staggered slowly backward and on to the bed. "Di' ju…" He flopped back, laid down, and for the first time since before the attack, instantly fell asleep.

"You shouldn't let Slytherins put anything on you, Potter. That salve was riddled with sleeping potion and a little something of my own," whispered Draco, "but you were right. I would never give up my beauty sleep."

The blond crawled into bed next to Harry, taking care not to touch him, and soon fell asleep as well.


	7. Harry's Dream

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Harry has a dream. That's all I'm willing to say about this chapter. Enjoy!

Harry dreamt that he woke slowly, different parts of his body waking up at different times. First his arm, which he had draped over something warm. Then his nose, which smelled an amazing aroma as it nuzzled something sleek. And finally, his morning erection which seemed to be trying to bury its way between two very smooth somethings.

Harry hummed contentedly, enjoying the bliss that generally comes with so many wonderful feelings. He used the arm that was draped over the warm thing to bring it closer so he could press against it fully as he buried his nose in the wonderfully smelling… hair?

His erection grew with the contact and Harry grinded it softly against the smooth objects and gave another happy hum.

"Mmm…"

The noise came from the thing Harry was pressed against. It seemed to like the grinding. Harry tightened his hold and increased his pressure slightly, enjoying what was sure to be an amazing dream.

He felt a hand wrap around his and he loosened his grip to let it guide him. The hand led his past what Harry now recognized as a torso and to a rather hard shaft. He took hold and pumped lazily, but in time with his thrusts.

"Mmmm…" Harry, now aware that the "object" was indeed a man, hoped to perhaps take this dream further. He opened his eyes, intent on flipping his partner over, when he saw pale, blond hair.

Malfoy blond hair.

Harry froze, his penis pressed against Draco Malfoy's ass, thankfully with a layer of clothing in between, and his hand around the man's penis, horrifyingly with no layers of anything in between.

The blond stirred from the sudden change in atmosphere and rustled a bit before suddenly springing up and away from Harry in the blink of an eye.

The two men stared at each other, both equally shocked and both equally turned on.

Malfoy was the first to look away as he hopped gracefully out of bed, slipped into a robe, and left the room without a word.

Harry groaned, grabbed the blanket, and slipped underneath, hoping to disappear forever.

* * *

"Ronald! Why must you always do this to me?" Ron laughed as he knocked over Narcissa's king. They had been playing chess for the last two hours but as usual, Ron had won. "Have you played against Draco? He might actually be a challenge."

Draco shrugged as he continued to read his book.

Hermione pushed Draco softly.

"Come on, Malfoy. Afraid of being beaten by a Weasley?" She grinned as Draco raised an eyebrow and lowered his book.

The group of four was out in the garden, enjoying the nice, Sunday afternoon. Harry Potter, however, was watching from inside the Manor, too ashamed to join his friends. He watched as Draco sat down and gave Ron a mischievous grin. Ron returned it with a sly smile and made the first move in the game.

Great. Now even Ron and Draco were getting along and all he could do was either fight with the man, or grope him.

"Damn you, Draco," muttered Harry.

What? Draco? When had he started calling him Draco?

Harry groaned.

The worst part of this whole situation was that he had figured out that Draco had mixed something in with the salve but he couldn't bring it up because what he had done was so much worse. He couldn't yell or fight. Instead he watched from afar, too ashamed to go outside, but too paranoid to not watch over his charge. If on top of everything that had happened someone was to attack and Harry wasn't there to help, he would never forgive himself.

Draco seemed to be winning because Ron was frowning and the blond was leaning back in his chair with ease. As he waited his turn, he looked over to Harry with unreadable eyes.

"What?" mouthed Harry.

Draco gave no response and simply let his gaze go up and down Harry's body, searching for only God knew what.

Draco furrowed his brow as his eyes reached Harry's.

"What?" mouthed Harry again. This time Draco shook his head and turned his attention back to the game. Harry couldn't help but notice how attractive the man looked when he gave a victorious grin, or how his pale blue shirt hugged his chest.

He sighed heavily as he felt a familiar feeling stirring inside.

"Draco Malfoy, you are going to be the end of me."

* * *

"So you're gay?" Potter froze in the middle of undressing for bed, hunched over with one leg still in his trousers. "I don't care, you know."

"Er… Thanks." The Auror stepped awkwardly out of his clothing and began to pull on his pajamas.

Draco was already ready for sleep, sitting on the bed, wearing only his shorts as usual.

"I'm sorry for lacing the salve with sleeping potion and my dream potion. I was trying to help. I assume you thought you were having a dream when…" Draco furrowed his brow for the second time that day. It was a rather uncharacteristic thing for him to do and the other man didn't know what to make of it. "When you practically fucked me."

Potter tripped over his feet as he moved toward the dirty hamper, turning red instantly.

"I wasn't… I. Er. I'm sorry. I wasn't dreaming about… I didn't…" Harry abandoned trying to explain himself and sat in his chair, burying his face in his hands.

"I drugged you. It's my fault." Draco still had his brow furrowed. "You should be yelling at me and instead you are ashamed and miserable. It's my fault." He frowned. "Stop feeling bad."

Potter looked up, confused.

"I'm the one who wa-"

"No. Listen, my stupid plans always backfire. I just hurt people. It's what I do. You've been like this all day because of me and I'm sorry for that. It's time I treat you with... Just stop feeling bad. You are the savior of the world, remember?"

"Even when you want me to feel better, you just end up telling me what to do."

Draco sighed. He couldn't believe he was actually going to say this.

"I should treat you with…" He swallowed. "With respect as I do others. I…apologize."

Potter looked at him incredulously.

"A Malfoy is apologizing?"

Draco rolled his eyes.

"Don't make me take it back, Potter." He lay down on the bed and rolled over, ending the conversation.

The two men pretended to sleep but both had their minds racing. It was three in the morning when Draco spoke again, still facing away from the Gryffindor.

"Still awake, scarhead?"

"Yes, ferret."

Draco smiled.

"You can't sleep in that chair, can you?" There were a few seconds of silence before Potter gave a sigh and responded.

"No. I suppose I should just transfigure this armchair into a bed and give in, once and for all."

"Or you could join me."

There was no response from Potter and since Draco was facing away, he couldn't see the man's expression.

Draco wasn't entirely sure what he was doing. He usually planned everything in advance. He was acting like a bloody Gryffindor…

He waited, perfectly still, as the minutes dragged on. There was a rustling as Potter seemed to make a decision and then Draco's heart stopped. He felt the bed dip behind him with the weight of the other man just as an explosion ripped through the air.

Harry Potter threw himself over Draco and the walls shook with a violent force. It seemed as if the world were coming to an end around them. But the world wasn't ending. The walls were completely intact.

The explosion hadn't occurred in their room; it had come from elsewhere in the Manor.


	8. St. Mungo's

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> No summary this time.

Ron opened his eyes slowly, letting them adjust to the light. He tried to move his head to examine his surroundings, but the effort caused a sharp pain to shoot from his neck, down his spine, and back up again. He lay still, afraid to move anything else. Soon he tired of staring up at the white ceiling and drifted back to sleep, his dreams filled with screams and mangled bodies.

* * *

"I'm not going to tell you again Ms. Diggins. Let. Me. See. My. Mother." Draco Malfoy stood before a small, orange haired woman who could not have been out of Hogwarts for more than three years. She crossed her arms and looked up at Draco, pursing her lips.

"Draco, please. You work here. You must understand why-" The blond snarled and felt a hand wrap around his arm for the tenth time since it had arrived at St. Mungo's.

"Draco. Let's go sit down." Potter gave him a stern look and Draco scoffed, tearing his arm away but doing as the Auror said.

"My mother dies and you start calling me Draco? I don't need your pity, Potter." The brunette gave a sigh which by now seemed to be as much a part of his character as a sneer was a part of Draco's. He rubbed the bridge of his nose before settling his full attention on the moody Slytherin sitting before him.

"She isn't dead." He looked at Draco with sad, understanding eyes. "She is in intensive care."

Draco crossed his legs and raised his eyebrows, confused as to how such a brilliant Auror could be such a stupid man.

"I work here, Potter. This isn't a Muggle hospital. Intensive care in St. Mungos might as well be a death sentence." He turned his head, making it a point not to look at the brunet and tried, as he had all morning, to keep the tears at bay. It was a difficult thing to do when he was constantly reliving the attack.

_Potter had sat on his bed and Draco thought that he would at last be able to have what he wanted, that he would be able to let his guard down, just as the other man had and finally be himself. He thought he was finally going to be able to say how he felt and to once again feel the other man's strong body pressed against his… But in that instant the explosion had sounded and Draco thought he was going to die right there under the Auror's chest and he hadn't minded very much. At least he would die and this whole thing would be over. He wouldn't have to worry about the guilt of his past, the self-loathing, the nearly crippling fear he woke up with every morning, thinking that there would soon be an attack and he might lose Potter, his mother, his son, or even Weasley, whom he had actually grown fond of over the past month. It wasn't until he realized that the explosion had occurred elsewhere that he began to panic. He tried to run but that damn man and his hero complex held him back._

" _Stay here" he had said. "It isn't safe."_

_And then he bound Draco with a spell and ran off. Ten minutes passed before Draco was able to break free, and by then it was too late to help. He ran in on terrifying scene. Ron unconscious and covered in blood, his body still shielding Narcissa's from harm. Narcissa sporting major burn wounds and breathing in such a way that could only mean she had a collapsed lung. Linky was impaled on a broken piece of furniture, his dead body hanging limply. And Harry James Potter, the symbol of everything good in the world, shooting the killing curse out the window._

" _DRACO! GRAB THEM AND TAKE THEM TO ST. MUNGO'S! ACCIO BROOM!" And then he was gone, out the window, and flying over the trees after a ragged looking owl._

_Draco ran to his mother and Ron and grabbed them both. He Disapparated expertly, but not before pocketing a bloody piece of parchment that lay by his mother's side._

* * *

"Can you feel this, Mr. Weasley?" Ron furrowed his eyebrows, trying his best to feel the prick of the needle being pressed against his skin.

"No." The Healer frowned and moved to his other leg.

"Can you feel this?" Ron blinked tears away from his eyes and tried to ignore what this might mean for him.

"Neh…no..."

"What about this?"

"Ow!" Hermione, who had been with Ron since the Healers had allowed it, gave him an encouraging squeeze.

The Healer nodded and made a note before turning to Hermione.

"Good news. He will be able to walk again. However, you must know that months of grueling physical therapy are in front of him and he will need all of your support. There is a Muggle facility which specializes in rehabilitation which I would like him to go to. There, he will be able to learn to walk again. But…" The Healer turned back to Ron with a face full of pity. "I'm afraid your Auror days are behind you, Mr. Weasley."

* * *

"NO. I'M DONE WAITING! LET ME IN!" Draco was standing two inches from Healer Diggins, towering over her petite figure, his eyes ablaze with hate. Diggins shifted uncomfortably under his gaze.

"Mr. Mal-"

"I said, LET ME IN!" growled the blond.

Draco pushed the Healer aside and stormed through the double doors. He was tired of waiting. He was going to see his mother whether they wanted him to or not. This wasn't a time for calm or composure.

"DRACO!" roared a booming voice.

"LEAVE ME ALONE POTTER! YOU OF ALL PEOPLE SHOULD UNDERSTAND LOSS!"

A hand took hold of his and he sent a hex behind him as he broke free, missing the Auror by a hair. He began to run now, anxious to find his mother before Potter caught him.

"What room, what room?" he mumbled as he ran through the hall, peering through the windows as he passed.

"DRACO!"

Where was she? Was she already dead? Were they keeping her from him because she hadn't made it?

At last.

A flash of blond caught his eye and he stopped. He could see his mother's frail body, looking completely broken, with burn marks all along its side. A Healer was dabbing her with magical ointment and Draco took a hitched breath when he saw her chest rising and falling slowly, proving that she was still alive. He took a step back. There was no way that he could go in there. There were too many different types of bacteria clinging to his body. If she were exposed to them…

Draco let a sob escape him for the first time that day. That small moment of weakness was all that was needed to break away his mask and let the tears flow. He stood there, tears streaming down his cheeks with reckless abandon as Harry Potter walked up and stopped behind him, placing a hand on Draco's shoulder.

They stood like that for almost an hour until the Healer came out of Narcissa's room and led them back to the waiting area.


	9. A Wizard's Lament

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Draco tries to cope.

A Healer stepped in to the waiting room, his eyes downcast.

Draco stopped breathing. He had seen the burns. He knew survival was unlikely, but he still hadn't prepared… He hadn't actually thought…

"Mr. Malfoy, Mr. Potter, Mr. Weasley?" The three men moved forward, Potter placing a hand on Draco's shoulder. The Healer took a deep breath and looked at the blond, avoiding full eye contact.

He didn't have to say anything. Draco already knew what was about to escape those chapped lips.

"Mr. Malfoy, I am very sorry. The burns were too severe. They were cast with dark magic and the only way to heal them would have been with Muggle medicine. We did all we could. We brought in the best Muggle specialists we could find but in the end, we were not able to save her. I'm afraid your mother has…" He cleared his throat. "…moved on."

Draco stood, outwardly emotionless, but dying inside. He wanted to yell, to run, to fight, to demand that they let him see her. He wanted to demand visual proof that his mother was actually gone, because this couldn't be happening. The world could crumble around him, he could lose everything, but he could never lose his mother. She had been the only constant in his life. She had been the only source of love and reason. What was Draco going to do now? He had a son to take care of, an ex-wife who did not know how to be a mother, a murderer after him, and a Potter who he was falling in love with despite all his efforts. Now his mother was gone and he could never again seek her guidance or hear her laugh. All he would have left would be memories, many of which were tangled with dark nightmares of red eyed wizards and the pain of the dark mark.

Draco turned to Potter who still had a hand on his shoulder. The man's green eyes were filled with tears that threatened to escape their confines and find freedom on the cheeks and neck below. The now orphaned man stood rigid as his guard wrapped his arms around him in a tight embrace. He swallowed hard, fighting back tears, and let his arms reach up to return the hug. Despite the anguish of his loss, the touch ignited a fire in the depths of his soul which shook him to his very core.

* * *

Harry sat doing paperwork in his Ministry office as Draco leaned casually against the door. Both men were dressed in black, as they had attended Narcissa's funeral earlier that morning. It had been a small, but lavish ceremony. Draco had quit his job at St. Mungo's and channeled all of his energy into ensuring that his mother would receive nothing but the most exquisite and tasteful funeral. During the time he spent preparing, Harry had found them a flat in Muggle London where they could hide. Kinglsey became secret keeper and only Ron and the head of the Auror department, Wendell Weatherby, also knew of the location. It had been trying for Harry to live with Draco in such a small space. He was becoming more and more emotionally attached, but he couldn't act on it due to the circumstances. There was also the matter of Draco's foul mood and regression to his Hogwarts self. The man couldn't go two minutes without insulting Harry.

With the funeral over, the blond no longer had anything to do and so Harry took this opportunity to bring him to the Ministry and catch up on the paper work that had piled up while he had been stationed at the Manor. Harry thought that perhaps a change of scenery would help Draco's mood.

"Think you will finish before my beard grows out, Potter?" Malfoy crossed him arms, making a point to glare at Harry as he did so.

"No. But I will finish before you hair turns gray."

"Imbecile. Malfoys don't have gray hair. Or does the little golden boy not know how a real Wizard ages?"

Harry ignored the dig, signed a piece of parchment, and set it on a pile to his right.

"That was the last one for today." Harry smiled.

"Thank God. As abysmal as our flat is, I prefer it to this dingy hole. You'd think Weasleys lived here." Draco stood up straight and glided out the door, running straight into Wendell Wetherby.

"Wendy! Tacky as ever I see." Malfoy sneered and sauntered off, earning him a dirty look from the large, broad shouldered man. His black eyes followed Malfoy until he turned a corner and then they snapped to Harry, anger apparent in their depths.

"Potter! Don't let that Death Eater run around here unsupervised. I've already told you how I feel about that slime."

Harry gave an apologetic smile.

"I'm so sorry, sir. But I do have to remind you, he isn't a Death Eater. The mark was forced on him. He didn't-"

Wetherby puffed out his chest and growled.

"Just keep him out of my department."

Harry sighed, gathered his paperwork, and said good bye to his unruly boss before running of to catch up to Draco.

"Draco! Wait! You can't just run off! If there is an attack-"

"If there is an attack!" Draco mimicked in a poor imitation of Harry's voice. "Is that your new catchphrase? I'd think of something more interesting if I were you."

"I'm just trying to keep you safe." Harry frowned.

"Honestly, why are you always running to save people? Does it give you a rush, Potter? Does danger turn you on? If I get attacked, then I die. Get over it and find your jollies elsewhere, golden boy. "

Draco turned and Disapparated. Harry swore loudly, causing an elderly-looking witch to jump in alarm, and then quickly followed the blonde.

The flat was rather messy. Though the snarky Slytherin had spent a good deal of time cleaning it, it seemed like all Ron had stopped by and left a trail of destruction in his wake. There was a note from him hanging on the television which said, "Sorry. Still getting used to this wheelchair. I came by to say hello and then tried to Disapparate when I realize you were gone. I'll try to do it correctly next time. Ron."

Draco took a look around him, gave Harry a dirty look, and then headed up to their bedroom.

Harry took a deep breath and followed him. It seems like all he did now was follow Draco Malfoy. It was like bloody 6th year all over again.

"Draco…So…" The brunette as he stood awkwardly at the door. "How do you feel?"

"Peachy." Snapped Draco.

Harry frowned and walked into the room, sitting next to the irritated man on the bed, but taking care to keep a respectable distance.

"Look, I know what you are going through and I know it must be hard to not have a good outlet for your anger. When Sirius died I was furious. I almost bloody destroyed Dumbledore's office." Harry gave a soft chuckle. "But it is important to let go of the anger and let yourself be sad. I know, I sound like Hermione but-"

"Be quiet, Potter."

Harry blinked.

"What?"

Draco got up from the bed and stood in front of the Auror, looking down at him.

"Just because you have mummy and daddy issues does not mean that I do."

"Your mother was murdered by an evi-"

"Yes, Potter. MY mother. As in MINE. Not yours. So you can just stay out of it. Take your little orphan boy business elsewhere. I've heard the story and I really don't care." Draco turned to leave but Harry pulled him back.

"You have to talk to SOMEONE about this. You have to do SOMETHING. Look, when I first lost Sirius-"

"Shove off. Do you really think you know anything? Your parents get murdered before you even  _know_ them and that makes you think that you can understand what it feels like to have someone who has always been there for you  _ripped_ away from you for no reason at all?"

Harry stood now, clenching his fists. He could endure a lot, but Draco, no, MALFOY, had gone too far.

"Listen here Malfoy-"

"Oh! It's  _Malfoy_ now, is it?  _You_  listen, Potter. You lost a lot of people, but most of them weren't family and most of them, you barely knew. You know nothing about real los-" Harry grabbed the blond and yanked him forward.

"You are going to shut up for once and listen to me, Slytherin git." Harry pushed the man, who stumbled backward and caught his balance by gripping the dresser behind him. "You can say a lot about me Malfoy, but HOW DARE YOU say that I know nothing about loss?" Malfoy scoffed.

"Brute! Must you always resort to violence? You have your friends and you have your Wealseys! You don't know what it is like to be alone! I spent years at Hogwarts alone and now I have to go through it all again! What do I have left? A son who I can't even see because it would put him in danger? An Auror whose presence I can barely stand?! You have everything!"

"SHUT UP! MY PARENTS WERE MURDERED IN FRONT OF ME AND FOR THE REST OF MY LIFE MY MOTHER'S SCREAMS AND A GREEN FLASH OF LIGHT HAUNTED MY EXISTENCE. I LIVED FOR YEARS IN AN ABUSIVE HOUSEHOLD WHERE MY MAGIC WAS STIFLED AND HAD NOBODY WHO CARED ABOUT ME. NO MUMMY OR DADDY TO RUN OR CRY TO. AND THEN, WHEN I FOUND HOGWARTS, WHEN I FOUND A HOME, THE PEOPLE THAT I BEGAN TO CARE ABOUT MOST STARTED GETTING KILLED AROUND ME! SIRIUS. DUMBLEDORE. THE CLOSEST THINGS I HAD TO A FATHER WERE TAKEN AWAY FROM ME AND IN THE END I ALSO LOST COUNTLESS OTHERS WHO I CARED FOR! NOT TO MENTION ALL THE PEOPLE THAT DIED WHO I DIDN'T EVEN KNOW! PEOPLE THAT DIED IN THE WAR TO PROTECT ME! PEOPLE THAT COULD HAVE LIVED IF I HAD FINISHED MY JOB EARLIER! SO DON'T YOU DARE TELL ME THAT I DON'T KNOW ABOUT LOSS, MALFOY! DON'T YOU FUCKING TRY!"

Harry stood, face red, his chest heaving as his charge looked at him with a stony glare.

"Yes. But they all died for a reason, didn't they? They died for the greater good." Malfoy took a step forward and lifted his sleeve to show the dark mark. "They died to stop this. Now, tell me, Potter. Why did my mother die?"

Harry grabbed Malfoy again and pulled him close, ready to yell, but he couldn't think of a reason. Narcissa had died needlessly and Malfoy had nobody to blame but an elusive killer who may never be caught. He would not have closure until he found an outlet for his pain and Harry punching his face in was not going to do any good. The brunet let go of the other man and lowered his arms before storming out the door.

* * *

Draco let the hot water fall over him, massaging his tense muscles. This was the only time he had away from Potter, but maybe that was a bad thing. Alone, he had nobody to insult, thus his mind was free to wander.

What an idiot. Why had he said all that to Potter? The pain and anger on his face had been apparent, but Draco had just kept talking, fueled by the need to win. He needed to best Harry Potter so that there would be some semblance of normalcy in his life. The attacks, the feelings he was having for the Gryffindor, it was all too much and he needed desperately to hate the Auror. Everything could change, but at least he would always have his enemy. The world could end, his mother could…

Draco shut off the water. That was enough thinking.

He stepped out of the tub which doubled as a shower and grabbed his towel to dry off. A small piece of bloody parchment fell to the floor.

Oh. That's right.

Draco had picked it up by Narcissa's body but he had been too afraid to look at it just yet. He had hid it in the towel, thinking he would read it alone in the bathroom. In a moment of determination, he let his towel drop to the cold floor, picked up the scrap, unfolded it, and read the single sentence it held.

"All you love shall die until I kill you, Malfoy."

Draco let a small gasp escape him before dropping the note which landed in a puddle of water, causing the ink to smear instantly.

This was entirely his fault. Everything that had happened was his fault. If he hadn't run like a coward and had just died…. Or if he had died in that bathroom by Potter's hand… Or in that fire…

Draco looked at his reflection, shocked to see tears trickling down his face. He hadn't cried at all throughout all this…and he wasn't about to start showing weakness now. He grabbed his wand from next to the sink and held it up to himself.

"You're worthless, Draco. You were meant to die years ago. All you do is hurt those around you."

He slammed his left hand on the counter.

"You killed your mother, you hurt Potter, and if you don't die, your son might be next!"

The tears were gone and all that was left on Draco's face was unadulterated self-loathing. He brought the wand closer so that it was touching his skin.

"You bastard. So many people have died because of you. You won't be able to make this up. No matter how many lives you save, whether in a Muggle hospital or at St. Mungo's, YOU CAN'T FIX THIS!"

Draco raised his wand and blasted the bathtub to his right, causing a third of it to explode into dust.

He tugged at his wet hair and looked back to the mirror, feeling like a failure and for the second time in his life, feeling terrified that his loved ones would die because he was simply too weak to stop it…

There was a loud thud of a body hitting wood and the door burst open, Harry stumbling inside.

The Auror's eyes locked with the former Healer's in the mirror and Draco could see the progression between fear, worry, sadness, and pity on his face. Anger boiled deep within the blond. Pity?

"Drac-"

"SECTUMSEMPRA!" yelled the Slytherin, putting all of his pain into the spell. Harry, used to sudden attacks, was able to quickly put up a shield charm. The spell fizzled into nothingness and Draco charged, intent on ripping the Auror to shreds. But the blonde was too sloppy. His emotions were too high and pure aggression alone would not be enough to take down the savior of the wizarding world. Potter used Draco's momentum to his own advantage, stepped to the side, grabbed the man's arm, and spun him so that he smashed against the wall.

"It's time to stop thi-"

"SHUT UP!" Draco turned, his lip bleeding slightly from the blow he had just suffered. He gave no notice to his own naked body. All of his attention was on Harry and the pain that he needed to cause, because somebody needed to pay. Something had to be done.

"JUST SHUT UP, YOU FILTHY LITTLE BASTARD!" Draco threw a punch which landed with a loud thud on Potters cheek. The Auror had not even tried to block it.

"Draco. Sto-" The blond threw another punch, this time hitting Harry on the nose and cracking it cleanly. "Please. Drac-" Another punch landed on Potter's face, this time causing him to step back a bit to catch his balance. "You. Need. To. Sto-"

"Shut the hell up, you fucking poofer!" Draco grabbed his wand, and began again, "Sectum-"

But he never got the words out. Potter rammed into Draco, causing the wand to fly through the air and clatter on the ground. The skilled Gryffindor grabbed the naked man and rammed him up against the wall, holding him tightly in place.

"DO YOU HATE ME THAT MUCH?! ARE YOU THAT INTENT ON HURTING ME? DO YOU WANT REVENGE? IS THAT WHAT YOU WANT!?"

Draco spit in Potter's face. The man growled, pulled Draco away from the wall and slammed him against it again.

"Just do it Potter. Do what you should have done years ago. Kill me."

Harry narrowed his eyes.

"What are you playing at, Malfoy?"

"It's what you want. It's what you wanted that night. WELL THEN! DO IT!"

Harry slammed him again.

"I'm supposed to protect you, slimy rat!"

"JUST KILL ME! DO IT! YOU DON'T WANT TO PROTECT ME! KILL ME! KILL ME!" Draco started to cry now. This was all too much. His mother had not been gone a week and already he had lost all control. "Please," he breathed, "just finish what you started."

Grey, watery eyes met fiery green ones. It seemed as if Potter would give in to Draco's request. The disgust on his face was apparent and all Draco wanted was for it all to end.

But then the raven haired man's expression softened and his grip loosened. He stared at Draco for two heartbeats before slowly leaning in and softly brushing his lips against the Slytherin's. Potter then let go of his captive and move backward, all the while looking Draco in the eyes.

"I never wanted to kill you."

The Auror picked up his wand and left, leaving the pale man to fall to the floor and break down completely. His choking sobs were heard throughout the night.


	10. Stupid Choices

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> No summary. Enjoy.

Harry lay on his back, staring at the ceiling. He could hear Draco's soft breathing in the small bed across from his.

"Bloody hell…" whispered the raven haired man. Here, in the dark, he felt like a kid again. It was just like the nights he had spent awake at Hogwarts, dreading his eventual death. Only now, he dreaded speaking to Draco Malfoy. How had he come to this point? Somehow their rivalry had morphed into this sick obsession. Or… _was_  it sick? Was it  _really_? Sure, he had kissed Draco while the man was crying, having a meltdown, and was stark naked… But he did it out of an impulse to heal, to nurture, and to protect.

"Stupid…"

If that was all true, then why did he feel so dirty?

Harry rolled over to glance at the sleeping body in the bed by the window. The blond was on his side, his slender body illuminated by the stars while his skin transformed into porcelain under the moonlight. Harry let his eyes linger on the light scars marring the man's otherwise flawless chest before bringing his gaze to pale, grey orbs. Draco Malfoy was fully awake and openly staring.

For all of his courage fighting horribly talented dark wizards, Harry could find none of it in that particular moment. All he could do was stare, too terrified to speak, and too stubborn to be the first to look away.

The two stayed that way, lost in each other, until sleep overcame them both.

* * *

"YOU DID WHAT?"

"Shhh! 'Mione! He is still sleeping! We didn't get to sleep until this morning." Hermione shook her head, causing embers to fly out of Harry's fireplace. "Careful."

"You kissed him while he was naked and sobbing? What on Earth…"

"You don't understand! He seemed so helpless. And what he was saying... That night in the bathroom…" Harry hesitated. He didn't like talking about the time he had nearly killed Draco. "I hu-… I hurt him so badly. I didn't know what that spell would d- I never wante- I think he thinks that I  _wanted_  to kill him. I think he might believe that I'm upset that he didn't die that night. I can barely live with knowing the damage I did. I see those scars ALL the time. _I_  did that. I BRANDED him just like Voldemort branded me. Every time he looks in the mirror he has a visual reminded of what I DID to him. And… I…" Harry's voice broke.

"Harry, I thi-"

"Shh! I hear him. He's up. I have to go!"

Harry got up from his kneeling position in front of the fire and hurried to the cozy kitchen where he had breakfast made. After casting a quick warming charm, he set a plate of bacon and eggs on the dining table just as Draco stepped out from their shared room.

He looked amazing. He was wearing a dark green jumper that hugged his muscles accompanied with a dark pair of jeans. His hair was not slicked back in its usual fashion, but rather slightly tousled. He looked relaxed, and almost… Muggle. Something had to be wrong.

"Morning. I made breakfast." Draco threw a sneer in Harry's direction and sat down.

"How domestic of you, Potter."

"Are you alright? Your hair-"

"Noticing my hair now, are we? Honestly, Potter. Just because you like it up the arse doesn't mean you have to be such a stereotype." Draco took a bite of his eggs as Harry turned three shades of red, his complexion rivaling that of an embarrassed Ron.

"I thought that you might not be feeling well."

"It's the latest look. SURELY, you must know that. If I know, then you, being bent as a boomerang,  _must_ know." He smirked and took another bite.

Harry stood and walked to the kitchen sink, doing his best not to stomp his feet on the way. He threw in his plate, still filled with food, and huffed. He huffed like an angry, little kid, and Draco Malfoy heard every second of it.

A pompous voice called over from the dining room table.

"Having a fit, Potter? Angry because I won't give you a good shag?"

A lump formed in Harry's throat, but he ignored it, preferring anger to this feeling of rejection. He marched to the bedroom and slammed the door behind him.

* * *

Draco washed the dishes slowly, angrily berating himself.

"What a great job, Draco. You little shit." He sighed. "Just because you like it up the ass…Stupid. Bent as a boomerang. Who says that? God. Angry because I won't give him a… GOD." A dish slipped from his grasp and broke in two within the sink. Seconds later, the bedroom door opened and a frazzled Harry Potter stepped out.

"Are you alright?! What happened?"

"Don't get your knickers in a bunch, Potter. I simply dropped-"

"MALFOY!"

Finally. This is what he had been waiting for: The moment they would go back to their yelling and insults. At least this was familiar. At least this didn't leave him with an overwhelming sense of guilt. Last night, Harry had kissed him in a moment of complete anguish and vulnerability. That slight brush of lips against lips sent Draco into a whirlwind of emotions. He spent the night, and much of the morning, crying about his dead mother, his uselessness, and his guilt, because he was amazingly happy that Harry Potter had kissed him. Then, early this morning, they had shared a tender moment when they fell asleep gazing into each other's eyes. But Draco didn't deserve this and he SHOULDN'T be so focused on Harry when his mother had just- When there was a killer out there and his son was at school and- When his life was such a mess.

"I DON'T CARE HOW DISGUSTED YOU ARE WITH ME! I AM YOUR AUROR, YOUR PROTECTOR, AND YOU SHALL TREAT ME WITH RESPECT!"

"Oh, posh. You just wa-"

"I don't want to hear it. I know you are going through a lot, but I'm not going to put up with your attitude this time. Not about this subject." Potter waved his wand, repairing the broken dish, and returned to the bedroom.

What in the name of Salazar Slytherin was that? Disgusted? Draco was far from disgusted… He just couldn't help but lash out. It was all he knew how to do and now that he was so confused, he clung to his snide remarks. It was the only familiar thing in a sea of uncertainty. Harry could not be his lover. That was not how the world worked. He needed his enemy. He needed a semblance of normalcy now that his rock was gone.

* * *

Draco had spent all day switching from snarky comments to complete silence and Harry could not figure out what was going on. The blond had stopped making fun of Harry's sexuality, but he continued to make fun of Harry as a person. He was obnoxious, pompous, rude, and reminded Harry of his first year at Hogwarts more and more with every passing moment. All the Gryffindor could think was that Draco Malfoy must still be terribly depressed about the death of his mother. Harry knew what it was like to live without parents and he figured that this immense loss, plus perhaps a sense of being violated by Harry the night before, must be causing the moodiness and the random hours of silence.

Perhaps if Draco had some fun… If they left the flat and went somewhere other than the Ministry… It might be dangerous, but maybe if they used Polyjuice…

"Draco." Draco looked up and arched an eyebrow. He was in a silence mood. "Would you like to go to The Three Broomsticks?" Draco shrugged, stood, and grabbed a cloak.

"Hold on. I'm going to floo 'Mione and ask for a bit of Polyjuice potion." Draco nodded and sat back down.

This would help. It  _had_  to help.

* * *

A tall, dark haired wizard clung on to another tall wizard with auburn hair. The dark haired man waved a glass of firewhisky about as he spoke loudly, slurring his words.

"Thisssh s'fantaaassstic. Ah feel s'mush be'er!" The Auburn hair seemed bemused, though uncomfortable by the other man's close proximity.

"Alright, why don't we go home now, Christopher?"

"Christopher? Who the bloody hell is that?" Christopher's eyes widened suddenly and he leaned into his friend, burying his face against his chest and giggling. "Oh, riiiiiight. Shhhhhh. It's a seeeeecret."

"Ok. Let's go."

"You're s'warm Harry…" Christopher's friend stiffened.

"It's Harold. Remember? Harold."

"Mmm…yes. Harold. My Harold…" Harold sighed and Christopher nuzzled a cold nose against his neck. "Smell good…"

"Come on now. Let's get you home."

"No!" Christopher pulled away violently, stumbled, and tripped over a chair, landing flat on his back and taking down two people with him. Harold sprang into action. He pulled up his friend and apologized to others around him as he pulled Christopher toward the door of the Three Broomsticks, hoping to get to the nearest apparition point, and finally, home. His friend was much too drunk and their latest swig of Polyjuice was about to wear off…

"You! Were you lookin' at my friend 'ere?!" Christopher yelled at an unsuspecting man, sitting at the bar.

"Chris…"

"Were you?! Well, you can get lost! Go on! All you lot can sod off! All of you!" Harold tugged Christopher more forcefully, causing the man to fall against him. Christopher threw an arm around him and yelled out, just as Harold began to feel his skin shift back to its normal state, "This man s'MY property! Our kiss proved it! I proclaim him as mine. Harry bloody Potter s'mine and I shall do with him as ah please."

Silence. Nobody spoke, nobody breathed. All they did was gape at the two men whose bodies were finishing the transformation back to their original states. They were very obviously Draco Malfoy and Harry Potter. The first was pissed drunk, with his arm draped around the second, a look of determination on his face. The second was holding up the first, terror apparent in every portion of his body.

There was a click of a camera and suddenly the silence was broken, setting free a wave of flashes, gasps, and shouted questions. The uproar was earsplitting. It was as if hell has broken loose right there in The Three Broomsticks.

Harry Potter turned on the spot, ignoring Wizarding courtesy, and apparated out of the establishment and into his flat.

"Fuck."

"Yes, let's."


	11. Scandal and Repercussions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Harry and Draco deal with the aftermath of their drunken outing.

It was a tense meeting. Harry sat across from the Minister of Magic and the Head of the Auror department, Wendell Weatherby. Draco and Harry's scene at The Three Broomsticks had caused a huge scandal, the likes of which had not been seen since Martha Scandivi, Kingsley's old secretary, was caught naked in a broom closet with her sister's husband.

With most scandals, the concerns were, "How is this going to make the ministry look? What will this do for our reputation?" This time was no different.

Harry sat, fighting the urge to wipe the spittle from his face, as Weatherby leaned over the table, red-faced and yelling about the irreparable damage that Harry had done to their department. Kingsley was quiet, sitting stiffly with a look that said, "We will talk about this later in my office, Potter."

"You are a disgrace. How could you do this to us? After everything that this department has done for you. We didn't even require you to finish your schoolwork. We welcomed the highly esteemed Harry Potter with open arms and to be honest, you have been a disappointment from the beginning. What wars have you won lately, Potter? Can you even do anything if a prophecy isn't concerned?"

Harry breathed deeply. He had been the one to solve over a dozen high profile cases in the last five years. It had nothing to do with being the "chosen one," but rather with Harry's capability as an Auror.

"And now this? Honestly. With your own charge? I'd rather you be caught naked in a broom closet with Hermione Granger!"

Harry cringed. That was not an image he wanted in his mind. Oh, Merlin. Now he couldn't get it out. What if he thought about it the next time he saw her? Well, at least he was too bent for it to make any difference.

"HOW COULD YOU BE SO RECKLESS! WE CAN'T HAVE AURORS BEING ASSOCIATED WITH DEGENERATES! WITH POTION ADDICTS, FAGS, AND WHORES!" Harry slammed his hands on the table, causing Weatherby to jump.

"How dare you? How dare you associate me with addicts, with degenerates?" Harry stood so he could look at his boss straight in the eyes. "I will not have you disrespect me, or anyone else who is attracted to people of their same sex. I am an honorable man and I will not put up with your bigotry. I've solved countless cases for you, but if I  _disgust_ you so much then fire me. Go ahead. Fire me right now. And I suggest you do, because if you don't I'm going to make sure that you get sacked for that comment and that you never get a job at the ministry again."

"You can't do that! You don't have the power to-" Kingsley cleared his throat and stood up.

"Thank you for your involvement with this particular issue, Weatherby. I can take it from here." Weatherby growled.

"Yes, Minister." He gave a last scowl to Harry before leaving the room and storming down the hall to his office.

Kinglsey sighed.

"Harry. We need to talk."

"Minister, I'm-"

"Call me Kingsley. Please, Harry. I think we know each other well enough. Actually…that's one of the things I wanted to talk to you about."

Harry sat back down.

"Ok, Kingsley. Let's chat." Kinglsey walked over to Harry's bookcase and leaned against it, finally being able to relax now that Weatherby was gone.

"I spoke to Dumbledore's portrait when you first took this case. Then I spoke to Snape's portrait. And I received two very different accounts of your Hogwarts relationship with Draco Malfoy." Harry groaned. There was no way that this could go well. "From Dumbledore I heard that you and Mr. Malfoy had a complex relationship fueled by mutual jealousy, mutual attraction, prejudices. I heard that even from the first day at school, when Mr. Malfoy offered you his hand and friendship-"

"Dumbledore knew about that?" Kingsley gave a throaty laugh.

"What didn't he know about? Now, from Severus Snape I heard that you and Draco have hated each other from the moment you met each other. And that there was no way that you could ever be expected to get along. He said that the only thing that you two have in common is stubbornness." Kinglsey sighed. "To be honest, I'm surprised this didn't happen sooner."

"Min- Er. Kingsley. Nothing happened. His mother died. I tried to cheer him up and he got drunk. We didn't kiss or hug or anything. He made a few inappropriate comments, but there has been nothing going on between the two of us. Our relationship is nothing but professional."

"You are sure?"

"Yes. I'm positive." Harry stood. "Now, if you don't mind, Kinglsey, I need to get back home. You made me leave Draco alone and I'm afraid tha-" Kingsley put a hand up.

"He's here. He's in my office and he is safe. And I do mind. I'm not done talking to you about this and to be honest, I'd like to talk to the both of you at the same time. There is nothing wrong with your sexual preferences, Harry. I support you no matter what. But when it comes down to it, he is your charge and this makes all of us look bad. Go get some lunch. I have to speak to Weatherby and run a few errands. Meet me in my office in about an hour. Just make sure you get Malfoy out of there before you leave to eat." Kinglsey gave a small bow and walked out of the room. Harry could hear is light footsteps going down the hall and and stopping by Weatherby's door.

Harry headed to the Minister's office, hoping that Malfoy was still waiting there as Kingsley believed him to be.

* * *

Draco paced nervously in Kingsley Shacklebolt's office, going over his story again and again in his mind. That morning, he had woken up, bleary eyed and hung over, to a note from Potter that said, "Ministry emergency. Be back soon. Stay home, read the prophet." So Draco had stumbled into the kitchen, trying the ignore the pain the light was causing his eyes, and his splitting headache. He drank a cup of coffee that Potter had graciously left for him as he sat at the counter with the morning Prophet.

" _POTTER/MALFOY SCANDAL IN THE MINISTRY"_

_By Rita Skeeter_

_Just last night, Harry Potter was caught with Draco Malfoy on a date at the Three Broomsticks. The two men had tried to hide their homosexual activity by using Polyjuice potion to look like two muggles from whom they stole hair to make the potion. I've often said that both these men may be homosexual, and of course, I was right. One source says that the two were found, while still in their disguises, in a romantic embrace in the men's room. Another source…_

Draco's mouth had gone dry after reading the article and his headache grew impossibly painful. That's when the owls started arriving. There were howlers, letters of encouragement, letters of rage, and, embarrassingly enough, fanmail. The most disturbing fact, however was not that there were people sending howlers, but that mail was getting into the flat in the first place. That meant their secret keeper had told someone and that eventually their location had gotten leaked.

Draco stopped his pacing and looked in a mirror by a bookcase.

"I don't remember anything. I was too drunk. What happened?! Did you know that our location has been leaked?! Where is Granger, and how is she going to explain this blatant lack of concern for our safety! I am outraged!"

Draco shook his head and started pacing again. He remembered everything. He remembered what happened at The Three Broomsticks, he remembered throwing himself at Potter once they got home, he remembered being humiliated as Potter turned him down, and most of all, he remembered yelling at Potter and slamming his door behind him. Potter must have slept on the sofa, because he had never come back to the room.

" _WHY DIDN'T YOU KILL ME! YOU ARE OBVIOUSLY REPULSED BY ME! YOU SHOULD HAVE KILLED ME AND THEN DUMBLEDORE WOULD BE ALIVE, THE WAR WOULD HAVE ENDED MUCH SOONER AND I WOULDN'T HAVE THE BLOOD OF HUNDREDS ON MY HANDS! MY MOTHER WOULD STILL BE ALIVE AND WEASLEY WOULD BE WALKING AND SAVING LIVES!"_

Draco sank into the closest chair he could find. He allowed himself to slouch, to tug at his hair, and sit with his legs spread wide. He had never felt more embarrassed and no amount of Malfoy manners and superiority could help him now.

There was a knock at the door.

"Come in," he croaked. Harry Potter walked in, closing the door behind him.

"Fancy yourself the minister of Magic?"

Draco looked around and noticed that he was indeed sitting in the minister's chair. He sat up, straightened himself, and crossed his arms.

"You are looking at the future, Potter." The Auror snorted and walked around the desk, standing behind Draco. Not being able to see the other man was unnerving.

"Did you read the Prophet?" Potter's voice was emotionless.

"Yes."

"Do you remember anything about last night?"

"No."

There was a loud smack as the Gryffindor slapped the blond head in front of him. Draco got to his feet and turned, throwing a punch which Potter caught effortlessly.

"You want to play, Malfoy? Why can't you be honest with me? Or do I need to get you drunk first?" Fear built in Draco's chest like an icy frost. He'd never seen Potter so determined. The expression on his face was unrecognizable. Draco tried pushing back, but Potter had him by both of his arms, the brunette's fingers digging into the blonde's skin. "The things I have gone through for you are more than any ministry official should have to do for his charge." Potter yanked Draco toward him violently, only to let go of his arms and hug him warmly. "Draco. What do you remember?"

Draco could hardly think. He was face to face with Harry Potter, the other man's arms wrapped around him.

"I..." Draco cleared his throat, trying to buy himself time and ignore the intoxicating smell of the brunette before him. "I remember that this did not happen last night."

"You wanted it to." Harry let go and stepped back. "You wanted it to happen so much that now we are stuck here, at the Ministry, just an hour away from a surely painful meeting with the Minister himself."

Draco rolled his eyes. Where did Potter get off acting so high and mighty?

"Oh, please. You wanted it too. You've wanted it all along! I didn't realize it at the time, but standing up so brusquely at that dinner when you first came to the Manor? Hah! Couldn't contain yourself at the sight of me, could you?"

Potter scowled. He was annoying Draco with his self-righteous attitude.

"I never caused a scandal like this!"

"No, you just punched me."

"You started some of those fights and you know it!"

"Yes, but you are always the first to yell!"

"BECAUSE YOU ARE ALWAYS ANTAGONIZING ME!"

"WELL EXCUSE ME IF HARRY BLOODY POTTER CAN'T HANDLE THE MALFOY WIT!"

"TO HELL WITH YOUR MALFOY SHIT! YOU ARE JUST A BRATTY LITTLE KID!" Draco threw another punch. This one landed this time, causing Potter to growl and grab Draco by the waist, pulling him against him. "Is this what you fucking want?" breathed the Gryffindor. "Will this finally shut you up?"

Draco was about to reply that of course he didn't want Potter, and that if the man needed to grope him just to win an argument, then he was obviously an idiot. Only brutes acted this way. But before he could answer, his own body betrayed him and his penis hardened against Potter's leg. But Malfoys did not back down so he pretended it was all purposeful and ground his erection against the brute in front of him, causing Potter to shut his eyes tightly and let out a low moan.

"It's seems like this is what will finally shut  _you_  up, Potter." But Potter didn't seem to be listening any longer. His hand traveled down Draco's back, cupping his cheeks, his mouth latched onto Draco's neck, sucking lightly, and his own erection found Draco's and rubbed slowly.

This time it was Draco's turn to moan and the sensations, coupled with Potters own delicious aroma, clouded his better judgment. Draco used his right arm to bring Potter's face to his and without even pausing to make sure it was ok, he kissed him. His tongue slipped past Potter's defenses easily and the man groaned into Draco's mouth, grinding harder against him.

It was doubtful which of the two was more far gone until Harry Potter proved that lust had truly made him lose all reason, he dropped to his knees and took Draco's trousers down with him.

Draco was alarmed. They were in the Minister's office and he didn't know how much time had already passed.

"Potte- Ooh, bloody…" The Auror's mouth had fully engulfed Draco's length, enveloping his penis in a paradise. Potter brought his head up and then back down again on Draco's shaft, his right hand cupping the blonde's balls tightly. Draco couldn't think of anything. He couldn't think about how someone had leaked their address information. He couldn't think about their muddled past or how he was supposed to hate Harry Potter. He couldn't think about the fact that just a few moments ago they were arguing. All he could focus on was the overwhelming sensation of Harry's tongue encircling his head, Harry's hands pumping his shaft, Harry's hair bobbing up and down, Harry's mouth sucking him harder and harder and…

"Ha, hah, Harry!" Draco came into Harry Potter's willing mouth, gloriously fulfilling one of his greatest fantasies, just as Minister Shacklebolt opened the office door.


	12. Unwelcome Surprises

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> No summary for this chapter. Enjoy!

It had been an exhausting day for Kingsley Shaklebolt. He had woken up to owls dropping mail on his face, and it had only grown worse since then. After the uncomfortable meeting with Harry Potter and Wendell Weatherby, he had to go speak with Wendell alone.

" _You are going to let a child tell me what to do?!"_

" _He isn't a child and I'm not letting him do anything. I am simply insisting that you not be so careless with your words and biases in the next meeting."_

" _Even if he weren't gay-"_

" _There is no proof that he is a homosexual."_

" _He's still a Death Eater lover! The way he stands up for that Malfoy brat! HE IS A DEATHEATER! I'm still not sure why we are protecting him!"_

After a tiringconversation, Kinglsey had gone to speak with Ron Weasley, who was doing paperwork since he could not go into the field. The redhead, unsurprisingly, did not seem pleasedwith his new position. It came as no shock to anyone that he was dissatisfied with his job.

" _Kings, please. You can't leave me here. I'll take anything else. I can't stand the paperwork! And…" Ron's voice dropped to a whisper. "I can't stand Weatherby. He's cracked. Anyone can see it. He keeps going on abou-"_

" _Ronald, stop. Weatherby is fine. You don't like him because he is a strict boss. And I'm sorry, but there is simply no room for you anywhere else at the moment unless you want to be an intern." Ron looked hurt. "I promise that as soon as anything opens up, I will-"_

" _Forget it. George already offered me a job at the joke shop."_

That had been Kingsley's most difficult conversation. Ron was a good worker and he didn't want to lose him. He had managed to convince him to stay a few more weeks, but if Kingsley didn't find an interesting job position for Ron soon, he was going to lose the redhead.

Kingsley groaned. The difficulty of his job had turned his hair gray over time and now it was affecting his face. The strain of the day was apparent in the bags under his eyes and the creases in his forehead.

At least he had twenty minutes before Potter and Malfoy were scheduled to meet him in his office. Perhaps finally he could have some peace and quiet.

"Albus Dumbledore."

The door did not open.

"I'm not in the mood for your games. Albus Dumbledore."

The door slowly, almost hesitantly, swung open, exposing a scene that Kingsley Shacklebolt would never forget in the years he had left. Only a strong memory charm could erase this horrifying sight.

Draco Malfoy's pale arse was pressed against his desk as the man leaned his body on the smooth mahogany. The blonde head was thrown back in apparent passion and he was panting vigorously.

Kingsley froze as he heard a loud moan escape Draco's lips and then, "Ha, hah, Harry!" The blond shuddered in pleasure as Kingsley stood, furious and horrified, unsure of what to do next.

Draco Malfoy _could not_  have been wanking to the thought of Harry Potter whi-

Kingsley's heart almost gave out right then and there. Harry Potter had appeared from behind his desk and was now kissing Draco Malfoy, who was still very pantsless.

"Ahem…"

There was no reaction from the two men. In fact, Draco Malfoy was now trying to remove Harry's clothing!

"BOYS!"

The Auror and the Healer jumped and turned. Their expressions were identical masks of horror. Both were unable to move until it must have occurred to Draco that he was still half naked. The blond quickly pulled up his clothing and then shifted back, so that Harry Potter was standing slightly in front of him, providing a physical barrier between him and the minister. Whether Draco did this consciously or not was unknown to Kingsley.

The Minister shut the door tightly behind him.

"What. In. Merlin' . ARE YOU DOING!"There was no reply, just a slight wince from the blond. "Could you please explain why on earth you were… Bloody hell, Potter! Clean your face!"

There were still drops of cum on the Auror'scheek. Harry turned an even darker shade of red and quickly wiped his sleeve across his face.

"Minis-"

"What on earth were you two thinking! Harry! You JUST told me that there was nothing happening between the two of you!"

"Minister, please. This wasn't planned. Nothing had happened. Well, there was a kiss and he was naked, but that didn't really count. He had blown up the bathtub and I wanted to help. And-"

"Be quiet." Kinglsey's head was swimming. How were they going to spin this? Had anyone else come by and seen them?

"I don't understand what you are talking about Potter. But I will not have some stupid fling break apart everything that we are doing here!"

"It's not a fling," growled Draco. Harry turned to look at his charge inquisitively. "Well, it's not is it? You are obviously mad about me." Draco shrugged and crossed his arms as Harry broke into a wide grin.

What on heaven's earth…

"If by that you mean that you drive me mental…" Harry rolled his eyes, but quickly smiled again.

What? Were they fighting now or…?

The blond replied with a smirk that confused Kinglsey, but somehow delighted Harry whose smile became even wider before hugging the blond tightly.

"STOP!" The two men broke apart once more. "I don't care if this is a fling or not! It isn't happening. You want to get married, fight, snog, kill each other, do… what you just did…" Kinglsey coughed. "I don't care. It's just not happening in my office and it is not happening until a murderer is caught!" Kingsley crossed his arms and brought himself up to full height. The result must have been impressive, because the two men nodded seriously and stepped further away from each other. "Get. Out. Go home. And don't you dare go out in public again!"

The two men nodded once more and briskly walked out of the office before throwing the door behind them.

Kinglsey sighed, walked around his desk, and sunk into his large, comfortable chair as he tried to calm his anger. He rubbed his temple slowly, trying to rid himself of his ever growing headache before freezing at the sight before him. There on his desk, as plain as the light of day, was a sweaty print of the bottom of Draco Malfoy's arse.

* * *

"I can't believe that happened." Harry sipped at his tea, his eyes wide. It was just now sinking in that the Minister had caught him pleasuring Draco Malfoy, his supposed enemy and charge…

"What's going to happen now?"

"I have no idea."

Draco was sitting in an armchair while Harry sat on the sofa. Since they had arrived home, the two had kept as much space between them as possible in a silent and uncomfortable agreement to keep some distance between themselves for the moment.

"He's the Minister. Shouldn't there be a law of some sort? Thou shan't be blown upon thy Minister's desk."

Harry snorted.

"Well you weren't  _on_  it… just sort of… leaning."

Draco grinned in a way that made Harry's heart race.

"Next time we'll fuck right on it." Harry choked on his tea, spilling some on his shirt. Perhaps the silent agreement had been more one-sided than Harry thought.

"Bloody hell! That's hot!" The double meaning of Harry's words made him quickly blush as he realized what he had said.

Draco smirked.

"If we are going to do something wrong, Potter, we might as well do it wrong properly. No need to spill your tea over it."

"Harry."

"Pardon?"

"Call me Harry."

Draco stood over the Auror, a slight frown on his face, as he seemed to think over the name. He blinked once and gave a slight nod before sitting back down in his armchair.

"Alright. Harry it is."

* * *

"HARRYYYY!"

Another crash sounded, this time from the front door of the flat. Debris flew everywhere, obscuring Harry's vision.

"DRACO! WHERE ARE YOU!?" The walls shook, causing picture frames and art to fly across the room, sometimes hitting Harry, sometimes ripping apart and causing their inhabitants to scurry into other works of art. "DRACOOO!"

"AVADAKEDAVRA!"

"DRACO!" Harry was desperate to find his charge. One second he had been making dinner, and the next the world was ending around him and Draco was nowhere to be seen. What if he was already dead? What the hell was he going to do if that obnoxious, gorgeous prat was dead!?

Shouting erupted, causing hope to light within Harry.

He ran toward the ruckus and found Draco crouching behind a tabletop that he had set on its side to use as a shield and sending spells at the masked killer.

"Confringo!" shouted Draco at the killer at once. Their spells collided in an explosion which knocked everyone off their feet.

"IMMOBULUAAAH!" roared Harry as he flew backward from the force of the explosion.

"AlarteAscendare!" shouted the masked figure as the Gryffindor got to his feet. Draco was forced high into the air, his head slamming against the ceiling causing his body to then fall limply to the floor with a loud thud.

"NOOO!" Harry ran and flung himself into the air as he heard the word, "Crucio!"

Unimaginable pain ripped through Harry's body, lighting his world on fire.

"CRUCIO!"

There was an explosion of white as another wave of torture cut through his body like a thousand knives. But he couldn't die here. He had to save Draco. He had to-

"CRUCIOOO!"

"AAAHHRRRHH!" Harry stood, still unable to see through the pain, tears streaming down his eyes, his body contorted, but desperate to move, to do  _something._

"GET TO YOUR KNEES BEFORE I HAVE TO KILL YOU, POTTER!"

Even through the unimaginable pain, Harry could recognize that voice. He knew who the murderer was!

"Draco! I know who he is! Run! Tell Kingsley! It's-"

But before Harry could finish, two spells were simultaneously shouted into the air with vigorous ferocity.

"CONFRINGO!"

"AVADA KEDAVRA!"

And then the world stopped.


	13. A Hero Falls

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Review. Don't hate me. Enjoy!

* * *

Silence fell as the dust and rubble settled. The flat was unrecognizable, covered in broken furniture, buried under massive pieces of the walls and ceiling. It seemed as though the world were splattered with blood.

Draco opened his eyes gradually, a low groan escaping his lips. He was laying on what might have once been a kitchen cabinet door. As he looked about him, he hitched his breath in alarm, causing a shooting pain in his side, which made him cry aloud, breaking through the silence.

Draco tried to sit up, but the motion was yet again followed by a series of agonizing throbs. He tried to suppress his Healer knowledge and not think about what the pain might mean. Instead, he focused his attention outward, to his surroundings. What had happened to the masked man? And more importantly, where was Harry Potter?

"Potter?" Draco croaked before having a violent coughing fit, which left him colorless and gasping for air as the ache in his side threatened to drive him into unconsciousness. Tears rolled down his eyes, driven by pain, as he fought to control his breathing. Never before had he been in such agony… Well… Perhaps once before, in his 6th year, and back then he had almost died.

What was going to happen now? What if he were to die here? Draco supposed it would be a blessing. He'd been feeling as if he should be dead since his 6th year at Hogwarts, and now he had the chance. Countless people were dead because of him. His mother had died because of him… Someone who had committed his sins should not be allowed to live. His son would learn to live without him, his mother was already dead, so what was left? There was nothing he could improve by existing, nothing he cou-

Harry.

Where was Harry? What if Harry were to die because he didn't get to St. Mungo's on time? What if he was laying unconscious right now? What if he were already de-

"POTTER!" Draco cried, as he forced himself to sit upright, a loud crack sounding somewhere deep within him as his vision whitened. He sat up stubbornly, enduring the torturous pain until his breathing stabilized and his vision returned.

He wasn't going to let anything stop him.

"POTTEEER!" Draco grabbed hold of the side of what had once been a sofa and hoisted himself up as a loud rip sounded followed by the splatter of blood. The blond looked down to find that the skin on his left leg had been torn apart by some sort of jagged wooden stick that had been jammed into his leg and became loose once he stood up. It didn't feel like it was his leg. It felt as though he were watching someone else's life progress as he stood outside and peered through a window.

"Harry…" came a whisper so soft that Draco barely heard. So transfixed was he by his wound that for a moment he thought the voice to be coming from the blood oozing from his shin. "It's…Harry."

Draco snapped back into focus and turned his head slowly, agonizingly, toward the voice. To his right, on the floor, trapped under stone, was the gorgeous, raven-haired man whom he hated and loved so completely. Draco's heart almost gave out at the sight of such a strong-willed, stubborn, impressive man looking so broken and defeated. He almost didn't even look like Harry Potter… except for his eyes. Those eyes looked at Draco with the same pain that the blonde felt, the type of emotion that one can only feel when their most precious thing has been harmed beyond recognition. But they also had Potter's ferocity and flashed a deep green as the Gryffindor took in the sight of a beaten and bloodied Draco Malfoy. Those eyes said that someone was going to pay, and they were going to die.

"Of course. Harry. Not Potter… Harry," Draco rasped. He tried taking a step and stumbled forward, crashing to the floor, but luckily landing closer to the Auror.

Draco's breath came raggedly now and he could feel his head spinning from the loss of blood.

"Draco… stop moving." Harry's took a deep breath before continuing in a clearer tone. "Send a Patronous to the minister."

"Can't. I can't produce a patro-" Draco coughed and winced.

"Accio wand." Harry's wand flew toward him and he caught it in his right hand which thankfully wasn't trapped. "I can. I have the perfect memory." The brunette smiled. "Expecto PATRONUM!" A silver stag erupted from the tip of Harry's wand and galloped about the room. "Attack at flat. Send help." The stag bowed deeply before jumping into the air and disappearing.

"Harry, no…" Draco breathed heavily. "I can't. They can-" The blond winced, his face contorted with pain. He didn't know how much longer he could stay conscious.

"Shhh. It's ok. You will be ok."

"You-"

"I'm fine. I'm trapped, but I think everything is fine for the most part. I just passed out when I was knocked back, but your screaming took care of that." He gave a small smile.

"No… You don't know…" Draco's eyes were wide with fear. He could feel his heart tighten as he imagined what might be in store for him. "Kill me. Please. Please, kill me. You're safe now, so-" Draco fell into another coughing fit, this time bringing up blood.

"I know you are scared, but I've seen worse in the field. They can patch you righ-"

"NO!" Draco's eyes were wild now, but he was in too much pain to move. He wanted to run, to die. "Please, Harry. Kill me. I'm begging you. You don't know what I'm capable of! You don't know what I've done!"

Harry's eyes softened as he looked at Draco, almost as if he were seeing the 16 year old boy again.

"I do know. I know what you have done, what you are capable of. And I forgive you."

Those words reverberated within Draco and shook him to his very core. No one had ever said those words. Nobody had ever forgiven Draco so openly and so completely.

But it was a lie.

Because he  _didn't_ know. He couldn't know or else he wouldn't be saying these things. Sorrow welled up within Draco, causing him to break down completely and forcing him to speak between sobs and coughs.

"No. You don't… Not every… Just now… Please." He looked into the green eyes and begged, leaving behind whatever self respect he had left. "Please, potter. Please. I beg of you, please kill me."

And then something seemed to click within Harry Potter because his eyes widened and his mouth twitched.

"You attempted-"

"Succeeded."

"Where is your wand?"

"Destroyed… into pieces…" Draco's eyes were beginning to dim.

"Stay with me, Draco." The Auror seemed full of determination. "Is it broken beyond repair?" His voice was strong and demanding.

"Yes…" whimpered the blond. "But it doesn't….matter….They still…." Tears rolled down Draco's face leaving yet even more tracks on his dirtied skin. "Kill me. Please." Harry raised his wand and pointed it in Draco's direction. "Thank you. Thank you so mu-"

"I love you." Draco's eyes widened in shock. "AVADA KEDAVRA!"

A flash of green forced the blond to shield his eyes. The light disappeared just as soon as it had arrived, leaving Draco fully alive as the spell hit the crumbling wall behind him. Harry smiled and before Draco could protest, a swarm of Aurors and Mediwizards rushed the scene, intent on saving the life of not only Harry Potter, but of Draco Malfoy, the boy who had made all the wrong choices.

* * *

Harry blinked rapidly as he woke to find himself in a white walled room at St. Mungos. At some point, while the large chunk of wall was lifted off of him, the pain had become too much and he had passed out. But thankfully he was alive, and Dra-

Where was Draco?

Harry tried to sit up but his arms were retained. He looked down to find a Wizarding version of hand cuffs, two magical rings of energy, keeping his arms locked on to bars on either side of his bed.

What on earth?

"Thank Merlin, Harry, you're awake." Harry looked to his left to find Kingsley Shacklebolt standing up from a small chair.

"Kingsey! Do you know what all this is about?" Harry nodded toward his handcuffs. "And do you know how Dra- Er… Mr. Malfoy is doing? He looke-"

"Harry, calm down. You need to calm down." The Auror raised an eyebrow and pursed his lips, causing the Minister to sigh and nod tiredly. "He's in surgery for his leg, his ribs, and for his hip," Harry tugged desperately on his restraints, "BUT they say he will be just fine once they are finished with the procedure and the five rounds of potions. So please, calm down Har-"

"Kingsley, I love him."

"You preformed an unforgivable curse! I know you love him! I figured that out myself, but for the love of Merlin, Potter, you are in trouble and I don't know how much I can do to help you anymore! You need to calm down, and THINK. We need to keep you safe!"

There was a short silence as Kingsley composed himself and sat down.

"Kings…"

"Here's the case as it stands. Auror Potter and his charge Draco Malfoy were both saved. Another body was found at the scene of the crime and identified as Wendel Wea-"

"WEATHERBY? THAT BLOODY BASTARD WAS WEATHERBY? HE'S THE ONE WHO HAS BEEN TRYING TO KILL US ALL ALONG? THE BLOODY HEAD OF THE AUROR DEPARTMENT?! AND HE WAS WORRIED I WOULD SULLY THE REPUTATION? I'M GOING TO-"

"POTTER! CALM YOURSELF!"

"HE ALMOST KILLED DRACO! HE KILLED NARCISSA AND LEFT RON UNFIT TO WORK IN THE FIELD EVER AGAIN! DON'T YOU UNDERSTAND! THAT MA-"

"IS DEAD! AND YOU SUPPOSEDLY KILLED HIM, POTTER!" Silence. "Please. Let me finish." Harry nodded. "…His body suffered many injuries, the worst of which was being hit by the killing curse. Only two wands were found at the scene, and one was Weatherby's and on was Potter's. Potter's last spell was the killing curse, thus pointing to Potter as the murderer of Wendell Weatherby. Further investigation hints that the curse may have been sent in self defense. However, the rules surrounding unforgivable curses are quite plain, and the oath an Auror takes at the beginning of their career contains a promise to never use an unforgivable curse, even in the most desperate situation." Kingsley took a deep breath. "Here's what I know. Harry Potter is not a killer. When faced against Voldemort, Harry Potter did not use the killing curse. I also know that the bond between Potter and his wand is too strong and that no other wizard would be able to use that wand effectively."

"Kings-"

"WHICH, leaves me to think that someone else shot the curse with their wand, which cannot be found at the scene of the crime for some reason, and that you-"

"Kingsl-"

"AND THAT YOU, shot the curse in the air to cover for someone else."

"I love-"

"I have to testify Potter, so don't confirm anything, please."

"Testify? Kingsley, you know I never play this card, but I'm the savior! I killed Voldemort! They can't send me off to prison, to Azkaban."

"Harry, I will bring that fact up, but I can't ensure anything." Harry's jaw tightened.

"He. Kille-"

"Potte-"

"NO." Kinglsey's eyes flashed. "NO YOU WILL LISTEN TO ME. Go back. Check other spells. HE USED IT FIRST, KINGS. HE WAS GOING TO KILL US AND I KIL-"

"DON'T CONFESS TO ME!"

"He was going to kill Draco. I couldn't let him do that. I couldn't let him…"

Kinglsey cleared his throat.

"You took the oath." Harry blinked and turned his head away. He knew where this was going and he was not sure if he could handle it without breaking down in tears or breaking out in fury. "You promised to never use an unforgivable curse on any human being, criminal or not."

Harry snapped his head back, anger building inside.

"I also promised to serve the greater good. Do you remember that?"

"We both know that the greater good is no-"

"DON'T START GIVING ME SOME DUMBLEDORE CRAP. I KNOW YOU HAVE BEEN TALKING TO HIS PORTRAIT. HE WAS GOING TO KILL US, WE WERE INJURED, I-"

"DIDN'T DO ANYTHING!" Harry gave a frustrated yank on his restraints. "Harry, you can't have that attitude in court or-"

"Or what? I will go to prison? The SAVIOUR OF THE WORLD is going to Azkaban?"

"Harry, please." Sorrow marred Kinglsey's features. "Please."

Harry closed his eyes and nodded softly, doing his best to control his anger. Even though he shouldn't have to. Even though he didn't do anything wrong. But he had to take the fall. He had to protect Draco…

"Who knows?"

"It's all over the prophet." Kinglsey put a hand on Harry's arm. "Harry, you are going to have to go to trial."

A lump formed in Harry's throat. It wasn't fair. He hadn't done anything wrong.

"But I spent my childhood fighting that monster. I died for them. Not out of selfishness, but to save them. And when I came back, I killed him. I saved them all and now…"

Kinglsey shook his head lightly, tears beginning to well in his eyes.

"The only thing people hate more than a villain, Harry, is a fallen hero."


	14. The Trial

"Father!" Scorpius Malfoy burst into Draco's room at St. Mungo's and threw himself on his father's bed, causing Draco to yelp in pain. He was followed by his mother, Astoria, an elegant woman with delicate features wearing a long black dress.

"Scorpius, compose yourself at once." The young boy stood on the floor, but did not move from Draco's side.

Draco couldn't help but smile despite the pain. He lifted his left hand and patted his son on the arm.

"It's wonderful to see you. I've missed you."

"Are you going to die!?"

Draco laughed.

"Calm down. I'm going to be fine, I promise. I've experienced worse."

Scorpius' eyes grew wide.

"You have?! When?!"

"That's enough Scorpius. Your father needs his rest."

Draco cleared his throat.

"I assure you, Astoria, I'm fine."

"You are under the influence of various potions. Forgive me for not taking your word at the moment."

"He's my son and I would like him to stay. I imagine that this is the first time you have seen him in a while as well. Between Hogwarts and the nanny, do you ever see your son?"

"Do  _you_?"

"I did before all of this happened." Scorpius shifted his feet. He looked uncomfortable by the tension in the room. "Scorpius, tell me about your friends. How is everything?" Draco's son brightened quickly and went into a long description of everything that had happened in his life since he last spoke to his father.

Draco's ex-wife, Astoria, pursed her lips and silently left the room. Her behavior did not surprise Draco. She had only married him for his wealth and had despised him ever since he left her. She resented carrying his child, and she resented Scorpius himself. The woman rarely saw her son, yet she still insisted on having custody. Draco supposed that she saw him as a way of acquiring more financial benefits. It hadn't worked of course. Since the divorce, Astoria had not received anything from Draco.

"And I have been speaking to Gryffindors lately. Other Slytherins have not wanted to speak with me since the scandal. But Mr. Potter's kids have been nice. I thought Gryffindors were stupid, but they've been very nice and I actually like them. That's okay, right? I mean… You like Mr. Potter. So-"

"Scorpius!" Astoria seemed to have been listening from the hall. "I have an appointment to style my hair. We are leaving. _Now._  I'm taking you back to school."

"The nanny is off work today?"

Astoria's eyes flashed.

"She doesn't work while he is at Hogwarts, obviously. Scorpius, say good bye… And here. Give today's Prophet to your father. We wouldn't want him to get bored as he waits to get better."

Scorpius kissed Draco on the cheek (something that Draco would not have dared do to his own father, but that he had taught his own son to do) and then left the Prophet on the blond man's lap.

"Good bye, father. I will see you at Christmas. Write to me when you get better."

"Of course." Draco smiled as his son left the room with Astoria. As soon as the door closed behind them, he turned to the Prophet before him. One glance to the first page was enough to realize why Astoria had wanted him to see it.

_Harry Potter Uses Unforgivable Curse_

_by Rita Skeeter_

There was a picture of Harry being escorted into a hearing with his hands in restraints. Draco quickly noticed the bags under his eyes, the worry lines on his forehead, and his dull eyes. He looked tired, but mostly he looked disillusioned with life.

"That horrid bitch."

Draco threw the paper aside and called for his mediwizard. He was getting out of St. Mungo's whether his body was ready to or not.

* * *

A white bearded wizard dressed in long purple robes circled Harry with a severe glower on his face.

"Did you or did you not perform the Killing Curse on Wendell Weatherby?"

"I did not," responded Harry in an emotionless voice.

This was not the first time he had been on trial and he was sure it wouldn't be the last.

"Then  _how,_ Mr. Potter, do you explain the last spell that your wand produced?"

"I don't."

A whisper went through the crowd watching.

"Mr. Potter, must I remind you that if you do not cooperate, you will be given Veritaserum?"

Harry shifted in his chair.

"Fine. I killed him."

An out roar broke out among the spectators which was quickly silenced by Kinglsey's raised hand. The Minister stepped forward and cleared his throat despite the silence which dominated the room.

"You may continue with the questioning."

The Wizard in purple robes gave a smug smirk.

"No further questions, Minister."

"Wonderful. Mr. Potter, you came without representation. Have you changed your mind?"

Harry sighed.

"Seeing as how you can't represent me, sir, I have not changed my mind." Kinglsey stood, staring at Harry, seemingly wishing to stall.

"Well…" The Minister took a few slow steps back. "Would you like to continue now, or would you like a break first?"

"What?" Harry didn't understand what Kinglsey was trying to do. "I mean no disrespect Minister, but why would I want a break?"

"To gather your thoughts?"

The purple robed wizard stood up.

"I'm sorry, Minister Shacklebolt, but I do not understand why we are wasting our time. It is obvious that miste-"

There was a loud knock on the chamber door, causing the old Wizard to jump nervously. Harry kept a straight face, but his mind was racing. What was going on? What had Kingsley been stalling for and what in Merlin's name was going on now?

The doors opened, seemingly of their own accord, and a tall, impressive looking man, with immaculately groomed dark brown hair, a short beard, and frameless spectacles glided into the room. Within seconds, the air was filled with the buzz of whispering witches and wizards. However, what really caught Harry's attention was the man in crutches behind him, who despite his injury, still managed to look graceful as he made his way to a seat on Kinglsey's right which had been vacated twenty minutes prior. Harry's heart raced at the sight of Draco alive and well. And was that Hermione walking in as well?

The tall man gave a deep bow before introducing himself.

"I'm sorry to interrupt, Minister Shacklebolt. My name is Jameson Carlisle and I am here to represent Mr. Harry Potter."

More muttering throughout the crowd.

"Mr. Potter, do you wish for Mr. Carlisle to represent you in this case?"

Harry's eyes met Draco's. The blond gave a soft smile, the likes of which Harry had never seen on his face before. Harry smiled back and Draco Malfoy, without missing a beat, gave a haughty smirk and mouthed,  _idiot._

"Yes. Mr. Carlisle will represent me. And I'd like to take that break now if it's still possible."

* * *

"Before I begin," Jameson gave a dramatic pause, "I would like to remind you lovely witches and wizards of Mr. Potter's past record and address Mr. Collin's concerns about my client's supposed violent tendencies. As we all know,  _Harry Potter_  faced He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named on multiple occasions. But what has Mr. Potter done since the war?" He turned to face Harry and gave a half smile before continuing. "Mr. Potter, is it true that you have captured over 200 Dark Wizards since the war?"

"Yes."

"And how many would you say you have used excessive violence against, this case excluded?"

"None."

"Have you ever been to trial for behaving inappropriately on a case?"

"No."

"Have you ever killed anyone, this case excluded?"

"I…I'm not sure. I killed Voldemort," gasps echoed around him, "but not with a spell that would normally kill…"

"And what is your preferred spell when fighting a Dark Wizard?"

"Expelliarmus."

Harry saw various people in the crowd nodding.

"Mr. Potter, can you explain what happened with Wendell Weatherby?"

Harry blinked. Nobody had asked him to give his side of the story yet. He had to word this carefully.

"Well… Wendell Weatherby, though he was the head of the Auror department, was the man who had been killing for months. He is the man responsible for not only the deaths of ex- Death Eaters, but also for the death of Narcissa Malfoy who, although once married to a death eater, was not one herself. He was responsible for the death of an innocent elf, and for injuring Auror Ronald Weasley, one of our best, to the extent that he can never work as an Auror in the field again." Harry looked at Hermione, who was sitting next to Draco. "He will be incredibly missed."

"Mr. Potter, I'm sorry, but please continue with-"

"Yes. Right. Well, he, er…Wendell Weatherby attacked my charge and myself multiple times. The last time he attacked, the flat we were living in was destroyed. Others in the building were harmed. They were innocent muggles. It caused a large mess within the ministry. Mr. Malfoy, my charge, was fighting alongside with me. Weatherby used the Killing Curse and thankfully missed Mr. Malfoy. However, at some point in the battle, my charge's wand was destroyed and I had to fight alone."

"Excuse me, Mr. Potter. Was Mr. Malfoy standing beside you when you were fighting alon-"

"No. I couldn't see him. He had been knocked down. Then Weatherby cornered me. He said he was going to kill me, but what really enraged me was when he said he would kill Draco. So I-"

"Why?"

Harry blinked.

"Er…What?"

Jameson gave a charming smile and turned to the people watching as if addressing them.

"Why did it enrage you so much that he would threaten Mr. Malfoy… or  _Draco_  as you called him?"

Crap. Had he slipped at called the blond by his first name? Harry swallowed.

"He was my charge an-"

"Yes. But it  _enraged_ you. Are you usually calm when dueling?"

"Yes, bu-"

"And this time you lost your head due to anger?"

"Yes, bu-"

"Don't you have a history of losing your head when Mr. Malfoy is concerned?"

"Yes, BUT I-"

"And would you sa-"

"LET ME FINISH SPEAKING!"

Jameson turned back toward Harry and away from the silent crowd. In a calm, low voice, he addressed the Auror face to face.

"Am I upsetting you Mr. Potter?"

"Yes. I'd like to be able to finish speaking. I want to answer your questions thoroughly so that you can understand that I shouldn't be sent to Azkaban. I didn't just defeat Voldemort like you said. I've done much more. And I only got mad because-"

"Mr. Potter," Harry shut his eyes tightly as he tried not to yell. "I'm sorry to interrupt again, but you have been keeping something from us and I think that it is time to know the truth."

Murmurs echoed through the crowd.

What was this man getting at? Wasn't he supposed to be  _defending_  Harry?

"I don't know what you mean."

"Tell us why you have quarreled so often with Mr. Malfoy. What exactly is the nature of your relationship with him?"

Harry squirmed in his seat at looked at Draco who remained expressionless.

"I…He is my charge."

"You'd be willing to lose your job for him though? To use the Killing Curse for him?"

"Well…yes. I did that. I already said that I did." Jameson stepped closer to Harry and leaned down so that their faces were level.

"Why? Why would you give up your job that you love, why would you risk your life and freedom? Why would you commit a crime that could send you in Azkaban when you have loving friends and three children? Why would Harry Potter, savior to all, go out and use Avadakedavra on the head of his own departme-"

"HE WAS TRYING TO KILL DRACO. HE WAS TRYING TO KILL ME AND HE ALMOST SUCCEEDED WITH BOTH!"

"But you could have used another spe-"

"He deserved to die!"

"Why?"

"For trying to kill Draco! He used the killing curse first. For a moment I thought Draco was dead and in that moment I wanted to destroy him. To rip him apart. To ki-"

"Why?"

"Because he was trying to kil-"

"Why else?"

Harry was getting more and more frustrated. What did the man want? Did he want to get Harry to admit that he didn't actually kill Weatherby? What was going on? What was he supposed to say or do? He looked to Draco. The blond smirked. What did that mean? Why was he looking so smug sitting there? He looked as though he had beaten Harry in some sort of competition. Like they had been playing a long game and Harry had finally lost. But how? What had he done and what was going on now?

Draco's smirk grew into cocky grin.  _Admit it,_ he mouthed.

_Admit what?_

"Did you say something Mr. Potter?"

"I…" He looked from Jameson to Draco and back again. "Er…Admit what?"

"Excuse me?"

"What do you want me to admit? Just ask me."

"Will you answer me completely and honestly? Because so far, concerning the matter I am getting at, you've been lying and omitting." Harry looked back at Draco. The blond nodded.

"Er… Yes?" Jameson stepped away from Harry and once again turned to the spectators.

In a clear, confident voice, he asked Harry a question that the Auror never expected to have to answer in front of so many strangers.

"Do you have a romantic relationship with Draco Malfoy?"

Nobody in the room breathed. The only sound that could be heard was the mad scribbling of the quicknotes quill Rita Skeeter used.

Harry swallowed and tried to sit up straight in his chair.

"How is this relevant to th-"

"You said you would answer Mr. Po-"

"Fine! Yes."

"Excuse me?" Jameson had turned back to Harry. Everyone was staring at the raven haired man.

"Yes. I have a romantic relationship with Draco Malfoy." He stared at the blond. "I love him."

Loud conversations immediately broke out. Every type of reaction imaginable was playing out before Harry. It took a whole ten minutes before everyone had calmed down enough to continue the trial, and even then there were murmurs and quiet giggles.

Jameson addressed the Minister.

"This was a crime of passion. A momentary lapse in judgment as a reaction to having something precious threatened. Mr. Potter was trying to protect not only a charge, but his love. Seeing as it was a one-time offense and that Weatherby would have been sentenced to a dementor's kiss after being caught, and seeing how Weatherby had already taken or hurt friends of Mr. Potter, he cannot be punished for his actions. At most, he should be put on probation, but Azkaban would be an extreme injustice. I am finished here." Jameson turned to the man in the purple robes. "Mr. Ryan, feel free to ask all the questions you want. Question Mr. Malfoy as well if you want. I'm done here. Goodbye Minister, and I hope you make the right decision."

Jameson walked out of the room as suddenly as he had entered it, leaving everyone in a daze.


	15. Two Idiots

_"HARRY POTTER: THE MURDERER THAT LIVED"_

_"HARRY POTTER: SAVIOR OR DARK WIZARD?"_

_"HARRY POTTER USES THE KILLING CURSE AND GOES FREE"_

_"HARRY POTTER'S TORTURED PAST: FORESHADOWING"_

_By Rita Skeeter_

"…It was only a matter of time before the fame went to his head. You can't have that much power before you begin to think that you are worthy of deciding who lives and who dies." Hermione threw the magazines and The Prophet aside, scowling. "It's going to be alright Harry. You've been through worse than this."

Harry flopped on his bed and groaned aloud.

"I know. But that's not the problem." He sighed and rolled over so that he was facing down. He felt like a teenager and just wanted to disappear. He didn't quite remember how to deal with such feelings.

"Harry, it's fine."

"He hasn't called me, 'Mione!" He sat up, now angry. "I took the fall for him and almost went to Azkaban and he hasn't called me!"

"Well, he probably doesn't have a phone Harry. He i-"

"You know what I mean!" It had been three days since Jameson had saved Harry at the Ministry and three days since he had seen Draco. When he was told he could go free, he was swarmed by a crowd of happy people. Once the mass cleared, the blond was nowhere to be seen. "I told everyone I loved him. Rita Skeeter wrote an article about the signs in my childhood that showed I would be gay! Hermione! I deserve a letter!"

Hermione crossed her arms and gave Harry and unforgiving scowl.

"While you spent three days acting like a child, did it ever occur to you to send a letter yourself?"

Harry thought back to all the times he had started writing a letter and ended up furiously throwing it away. Why should he be the first to write? He had done more than enough. It was time for Draco to do something! Had he not declared his love in front of the entire jury and spectators? Had he not declared his love to Draco himself? He had made his own feelings clear. Now it was time for Draco to do the same.

* * *

Bloody Potter and his bloody arse and his bloody lies.

"Huh," said Ron as he sat on the sofa. "It says that Harry's nightmares as a child were due to the battle raging within himself about his homosexuality. And here I was thinking that it was because Voldemort's soul was lodged inside his body."

Draco glared at the red head.

"What are you doing here, exactly?"

"Hadn't seen you since the trial. I got worried. But hey, the Manor looks great. I think Nar-… I think your mum would have liked it."

Ron still sometimes had difficult saying the name "Narcissa." It was one of the things about the redhead that Draco found endearing. Sure, the man was a dolt, but if his mother liked him enough to pay him attention…

"Well, I'm fine. So there you are. Would you like tea before you go?"

Ron shook his head.

"No, but I'd like to see Harry. He's not off nude somewhere is he?"

Draco sputtered. Off nude somewhere? The scar-head hadn't even written to him, much less showed up. Why would he be nude in Draco's home?

"Of course not! I don't associate with him anymore." Ron raised an eyebrow, but said nothing. "What? He's beneath me. I'm done with him." Ron rolled his eyes. "His temper is frightening and his manners are worse. It's better this way. I'm much better on my own with only my business and my child to worry about. Hogwarts lets out soon and Astoria has granted me the entire summer with Scorpius because she has a new European lover to traipse around Rome with."

"The idiot told everyone he loves you and you throw him away? You're a great guy, Malfoy."

But Harry was the one that had thrown Draco away!

"Well… Perhaps he shouldn't be such an idiot as you call him. If he were more intelligent, then I might change my mind, but it's too late. I'd like you to leave now." Ron stood and stretched. He shook his head slowly as he walked past Draco. "What? What does that mean?"

"You're both idiots."

* * *

Harry was angry.

No.

Harry was furious.

His blood boiled as he stomped up to Malfoy Manor, ready to give the owner a piece of his mind. He had spent all night and most of the morning preparing a speech for the blond and he was ready to deliver.

" _Draco Malfoy! I have spent months protecting you, despite your bad attitude and your lack of gratitude or respect. But I at least thought that you cared about me in some way. I risked my life for you. I risked my freedom for you. I told you, the Minister, and the entire world that I am in love with you. But you can't pick up a quill? You can't even shake my hand after one of the most terrifying hearings of my life? You disappeared! You abandoned me! But thank you. Thank you for making me realize what a pathetic waste of time you truly are."_

Yes. Right. Great. That was great.

Harry raised his hand to knock loudly and aggressively, but before he could do so, the front door opened, revealing a blond man inside.

"Harry."

"Draco."

Harry stood, unable to deliver the speech he had worked so hard on. The man before him looked even more amazing than he remembered. He was dressed in tight muggle jeans and black dress shirt that made his hair look luminescent. And that _smell…_  Was he wearing cologne?

"Hello. Would you like to come in?"

"Oh. Yes. Of course. Right."

Harry followed Draco inside, feeling like a complete fool. He had probably interrupted Draco just as he was going to go on a date.

"Would you like a bit of tea?"

"No thank you."

"Alright."

The two men sat down opposite each other in the sitting room. An overwhelming silence settled upon them, causing Harry to shift uncomfortably in his chair.

"You uh… You can walk."

"Yes. It's rather exciting."

Silence again. Harry didn't think he could take much more of the awkwardness and his anger had been replace with self pity. Perhaps he would tell Draco off another day…

"Well, I should be going." Harry stood up and Draco mirrored his action.

"Yes. Thank you for visiting. Oh, and you should visit your friend Ron."

"What?" Harry had seen Ron every single day since the trial. Why would he need to visit him?

"He came by looking for you."

"No."

"Excuse me?"

"I have seen him every day since the trial. He knew I wasn't here."

Draco frowned and Harry could feel his anger thankfully beginning to return. Draco had seen Ron and he hadn't given him a message for Harry?

"Well… That's odd. Wait, you say you saw him  _every_  day?" There was a hint of bitterness in Draco's tone which only served to fire Harry up. What did  _Draco_  have to be bitter about?

"What of it? He came by to visit me. He's a great friend, unlike  _others_."

"Oh, yes. Wonderful. He visited me as well. It was nice to know that I was on  _someone's_  mind." Draco's words were laced with venom.

"What are you getting at,  _Malfoy_?"

"I'm simply pointing out that Ron had the decency to visit an injured man after that man helped to get his best friend from the grips of the Ministry,  _Potter."_

"Well, perhaps that man was the one who deserved to be visited after he RISKED HIS LIFE AND FREEDOM FOR A BLOND IDIOT!"

"YOU DIDN'T EVEN WRITE TO ME!"

"RON CAME TO THE MANOR! YOU COULD HAVE GIVEN HIM A MESSAGE FOR ME!"

"FUCK YOU, POTTER! HE SAID HE HADN'T SEEN YOU!"

"WHERE WERE YOU GOING ALL DRESSED UP, ANYWAY?!"

"WHY DO YOU CARE?"

"WHY?!  _WHY?!_ DON'T YOU REMEMBER WHAT I SAID IN THAT TRIAL?!"

"OH, PLEASE! ADMIT IT, POTTER! YOU WERE LYING TO SAVE YOUR OWN ARSE! JUST ADMIT IT AND GET OUT OF MY LIFE!"

"I WASN'T BLOODY LYING. I SAID IT TO YOU RIGHT BEFORE I CAST THAT DAMN CURSE! WHY WOULD I BE LYING?!"

"BECAUSE YOU ARE A MANIPULATIVE BASTARD!"

"THAT'S RICH COMING FROM THE MAN WHO LACED MY HEALING SALVE WITH SLEEPING POTION AND THEN CLIMBED INTO BED WITH ME!"

"WELL AT LEAST I DON'T GO AROUND KISSING NAKED MEN IN BATHROOMS!"

"NO! YOU JUST GRIND AGAINST MEN IN THE MINISTER'S OFFICE!"

"AND YOU  _BLOW_  MEN IN THE MINISTER'S OFFICE!"

"FUCK YOU! YOU LOVED THAT!" Harry turned and kicked the small end table to his right, causing the glass top to shatter. "REPARO!" The table fixed itself and Harry stood, glaring at it, as if shattering was the table's fault for being so fragile in the first place.

Draco picked up the table and set it right side up.

"My mother picked that out."

"I wasn't lying."

Draco looked into Harry's eyes, his expression tortured.

"I… I was going out to see you."

Harry sighed and sat down, burying his head in his hands. "I love you and it's going to drive me insane, because you are the most infuriating person I have ever met in my entire life."

"I'm sorry. It's hard to hear your muffled words when you cover your face liked that."

Harry looked up and saw Draco Malfoy smirking at him, standing only a foot away.

"I said I love you. How many bloody times do I need to say it before you stop acting like an arse?" Draco's expression softened . "The trial ended. Shouldn't we be happy by now?"

"Weasl- Ron said that we are too stupid to be happy."

"What?"

Draco scoffed.

"Right as he was leaving I insisted that I was happy on my own and he said that you and I are too stupid to ever be happy."

"He really needs to stop spending so much time with Hermione…"

The two men looked at each other and smiled. Draco offered Harry his hand, and Harry took it, letting the blond pull him to his feet.

"I shouldn't have left so soon after the trial. I got scared."

"I should have visited sooner."

Draco squeezed Harry's hand, which was still in his, and gave the Auror a playful smirk.

"Yes. You really should have."

Harry was still angry, but he was tired of fighting and he recognized that he wasn't completely innocent either. He just wanted to hug Draco and drift off to sleep where they at least could not talk and fight and ruin everything.

"We aren't very good at communicating. I even broke your table…"

"Perhaps we should wait until we are a bit calmer to speak with each other."

Harry supposed the blond was right. He'd go home, cool down, and maybe come back the next day.

"Right. Well… I'll see you then."

Draco pulled Harry toward him gently from the hand he had still refused to let go of.

"I didn't say we should be apart until we were calm, I simply said we shouldn't  _talk_  until we were calm."

The blond finally released Harry's hand and sauntered over to the sofa where sat down and raised a suggestive eyebrow.

Fuck. Harry knew what Hermione would say. She would say that this was unhealthy and that he and Malfoy needed to sort through their problems before taking a big step in their relationship. He knew she would disagree and claim that sex is much better when both parties are completely secure. He knew she would remind him that Draco had not told Harry that he loved him back, but he didn't care. He didn't care about anything other than the pale hands which were slowly unbuttoning their owner's shirt.

Harry walked over and stood close as he watched Draco slowly expose his scarred chest. The last thought that passed through his mind was, "Fuck it" before he straddled the blond and began a new chapter in both their lives.


	16. The End

Nails dug into skin, leaving behind red trails of passion. Teeth bit, lips sucked, and clothing was thrown about in haste as two men tried desperately to get closer. Any space between them was sacrilege. Any inch of skin left covered was a personal insult. Only complete nakedness and moving as one would be enough. Only joining together in the most intimate of ways would satisfy their need. They ached to make love and be loved, but fuck it if that's how Draco was going to act.

He grabbed onto to Harry greedily, ripping off his shirt and latching his lips on to his neck.  _Finally._  The man above him threw his head to the side, giving the blond better access.  _Yesss._

"I'm going to fuck you, Potter." Harry Potter growled and stood up, forcing Draco to get up with him. He grabbed the man and turned him around before throwing him back down on the couch. Draco rolled over before his partner could seize him again and rolled his eyes. "You love me remember? Let me fuck you." He pulled Harry down slowly so the man was straddling him once more and licked his ear softly before whispering, "Trust me, Harry. You will  _love_  it."

The brunnet groaned and Claimed Draco's mouth with his, bringing them both into a painful, rough kiss, that sent shivers of electricity down Draco's spine. Their sweaty torsos rubbed together as Harry grinded his erection into Draco's, eliciting sinful moans from both their lips.

"Pants."

"Yes."

Harry stood hastily and lowered his pants quickly as Draco removed his own. The blond took in the sight with such a heated approval, that he seemed to only fire the Auror up further. Draco suddenly found himself the victim of biting kisses, painful scratches, and even a bit of light choking as his partner possessed him in every way but the most important. That was Draco's cue. He moved them both so that Harry was lying on his back, and Draco was crouched a small space at the end of the sofa. He raised the brunette's legs and then lowered himself to lick Harry from his tailbone, all the way up to the man's balls. The responding "Fucking, bloody, hell!" that came from the Auror was all the urging that Draco needed to bury his face in his partners ass, licking and sucking as if he would never have the chance again.

* * *

Draco's tongue felt like heaven as it plunged within Harry, trying to get deeper access, but not being long enough to claim victory. The blond's hands gripped Harry's thighs tight enough to leave behind bruises, but all the Saviour cared about was the fire burning his cock, the tingles in his chest, the warmth circling and penetrating his most private place.

Harry felt a slender finger enter him along with Draco's tongue and he lost all sense of the world around him. He bucked onto the digit and the second that quickly joined the first, trying to fuck himself on the hand, not caring about who had the power and how vulgar he must look. He just wanted  _more._ He wanted Draco. He wanted the man he loved.

The blond stretched him expertly with his fingers and after a bit more of his hot and wet ministrations; he was pressing his tip into Harry's entrance, leaving the brunette gasping in pleasure. Draco plunged himself completely into Harry's ass and the world blazed with color behind Harry's closed eyelids.

"Fuck! I love you! I love you!"

Draco groaned in response before pumping in and out, evenly and slowly.

* * *

Harry's declaration of love had reminded Draco what they were doing. They were making love.  _Fuck._ He needed to be with Harry, to make him orgasm, to pleasure him in ways nobody ever had before because he  _loved him back._ Of course Draco had already known that in some part of his mind, but the clear realization was going to put a damper on sex for the next few minutes. It meant he'd have to  _show_  his love. Normally he'd be fine with that, but he was  _inside_  Harry bloody Potter and he wanted to fuck him fast and hard. Instead, he went slowly and bent down to kiss the brunette in a soft, deep kiss, conveying with actions exactly how strongly he felt for the other man. He pulled back to see green eyes twinkling and then screamed aloud as the body connected to those eyes slammed up from beneath him.

_Well if that's what Harry wants, then perfect._

Draco pushed himself down with as much strength as he could muster, ripping a loud cry from Harry's lips. His grabbed hold of the man's cock and pumped tightly, in time with his furious thrusts, until he felt the body under him tense and spasm. Harry's face knotted into the most delectable expression of pleasure that Draco had ever seen, and soon they were both coming. Draco in Harry's arse, Harry all over both their stomachs. The process had been sweaty, and tiring, and sticky, but when Draco pulled out and collapsed on top of the muscular man, he could not have been happier.

_Screw Malfoy propriety._

* * *

Harry wrapped his arms around the blond and sighed contently. He knew they still had many things to discuss. He knew if this worked, the children might be alarmed. He knew everything was much more complicated than ever in his life.  _But who cares? I have him. He's mine and he loves me. He hasn't said it but he-_

"Potter?"

"Just Harry, please."

"No. It has to be Potter for just this second."

Harry frowned.

"Okay. What is it?"

"Potter… Potter, I love you."

"I love you too, Malfoy."

And with that, Harry drew Draco up into passionate kiss and decided to deal with all the details and the complications later. After all, they would have their entire lives.  _Or am getting ahead of myself?_ He wanted this to be the end up the struggle, but was it? Was it  _the end?_ Would the last chapter in their crazy story be over so that they could finally simply be together and be happy? Were they finally going to leave their shadows behind?

"Potter?"

"I told you. Call me Ha-"

"It has to be Potter again."

"Well, alright."

There was silence for a few minutes as Harry stroked the blond hair and Draco's breathing accelerated.

"Potter, I have a child and I can't afford casual relationships at the moment."

"I'm in the same boat."

"So it's settled?"

"Yup."

Draco sighed and nuzzled himself against Harry, finally seeming to relax completely. The Auror smiled to himself and let the pure joy wash over him.

_I suppose this is finally the end._

And he was thrilled. Whatever came next would be a beginning. It was time to move forward into another chapter of his life. This time, he wouldn't have to do it alone. This time he'd have a lovable, insufferable git by his side.


End file.
